The Book of Shadows
by Danny'sGhostGirl
Summary: Sequel to Yugioh II: Anubis Returns. Mokuba is taking his brother's death pretty hard, and claims that he sees his older brother around! Is Mokuba going insane? And who's this girl who wants to buy Kaiba Corp? EDIT 8/26/12: NEW ENDING!
1. The Pain of Loss

**DGG: All right. Like with "Yu-Gi-Oh! II: Anubis Returns", I decided to go back through this story and fix little mistakes and take out my annoying author's notes. Seriously! Why would I ever type like that!? Anyway I just fixed little things here and there, like spelling mistakes mostly. I also gave the chapters names! Woo! That's not really that exciting, I know. But still.**

**HOWEVER, unlike this story's predecessor, I did make one major change****. I did change the ending to something more favorable. I know many people don't really read this anymore, but I still decided to change the ending. It's not that I hated my original ending, but everyone else did. So, I hope the new ending is better for everyone. **

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN YGO! But I do own Natalie.**

* * *

**Chapter 1: The Pain of Loss**

Mokuba laid back down in his brother's bed that night after the funeral. He was so upset. His brother had left him! Mokuba didn't know what to do anymore! He wanted to be strong. His brother never cried. Well, as far as he knew. He wanted to be strong for his brother. Maybe he should take over Kaiba Corp, but he still didn't really want to. He was nine years old! How could he be the CEO of a multi-million dollar company! He shook all the thoughts out of his head. He wasn't going to think about any of that right now. Mokuba was startled by a tapping on the door.

"Mokuba," spoke Roland.

"Yes?" he answered sadly.

"Are you going to be okay?" he asked, walking over to him.

"I don't know."

"I'll stay here for you tonight if you want me to."

"It's okay," sighed Mokuba. "I want you to go home. Don't worry about me."

Roland put his hand on Mokuba's shoulder, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

Roland didn't feel comfortable leaving Mokuba there, but decided he probably needed some time alone. After their short good-byes, Roland left. Mokuba watched as he drove off and sighed. Soon, Mokuba found himself outside on the balcony looking up at the sky. Now his mother, father, and older brother were up there.

"Seto is probably happy now," said Mokuba. "He doesn't have me to get in the way anymore."

Eventually, Mokuba went back inside the house. He wanted to sleep, but didn't know what he'd see once he closed his eyes. What if he had a bad dream? Who would he run to for comfort? Mokuba was all alone in the world now. Tears started flowing down Mokuba's face again. Then, the phone rang, snapping Mokuba out of his thoughts.

"Who would be calling now?" he wondered. "It's ten at night."

He crawled over the bed and grabbed the phone off the bedside table.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Hi, Mokuba," said her voice.

"Natalie?" asked Mokuba, recalling the girl from earlier. "What do you want now?"

"Nothing," she answered. "I just wanted know if you'd talk about it now."

"No."

"Why not? I will admit that today when I asked you it was an inappropriate time."

"I don't know what I'm doing with my brother's company!"

"You mean Gozaburo's company," she corrected.

Mokuba was wide-eyed," What did you just say?"

"I said it's Gozaburo's company," she repeated.

"No, it's my brothers. Why would you say it's our step-father's?"

"Because it's true. It was his empire before it was your brother's."

"Gozaburo is dead," said Mokuba. "It became my brother's company. It's not Gozaburo's anymore."

"It's not Seto's anymore either," said Natalie. "He's dead too. It's yours now."

"Look, I'll let you know when I wanna talk about it," Mokuba said.

"Don't worry, Mokuba" she said. "That day will come soon."

"Why do you want Kaiba Corp so much?"

"You'll find that out soon too," she said.

Next, there was a click and Natalie was gone. Mokuba hung up the phone. He was starting to get worried. What would she do to get his company? Mokuba wanted Seto there. He'd know what to do. Mokuba decided to crawl under the blankets and go to sleep. He had nothing better to do. He didn't care what he'd see at this moment. He fell asleep seconds after.

At Yugi's house, Yugi was talking with Yami.

"But I don't know what to do for Mokuba," said Yugi. "I want to help him, but I don't know how."

_"I think everyone wants to help him,"_ said Yami. _"But we also have to remember that he needs some space. He just lost a very important person in his life."_

"I know, but he also needs some support from his friends."

_"We'll help him. But for now we'll leave him alone for awhile."_

"I didn't want this to happen! I wanted to help the both of them, not lose one of them!"

_"Kaiba would have wanted it to be him instead of Mokuba."_

"I know, but..."

_"Yugi, don't worry. We'll check in on him tomorrow."_

Yugi nodded. He laid back on his bed and thought about how he told Mokuba that he and his brother would be back together. Yugi felt like he lied to Mokuba, but it wasn't his fault. He didn't know Kaiba would die. Yugi sighed as his grandfather came through the door.

"Yugi, are you all right?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Grandpa," smiled Yugi.

"Your smile tells me otherwise," said Solomon.

"I feel bad," said Yugi.

"I know you do, but Mokuba will be fine."

"I know."

"Here, drink some milk. You may be able to go to sleep. It always worked before."

"Thanks, Grandpa" said Yugi. He took a drink of some milk and set the glass down on the bedside table.

"Get some sleep," said Solomon.

"I will," said Yugi. "Good night."

"Good night."

Solomon turned off Yugi's bedroom light and left the room. Yugi didn't fall asleep right away though. He was still a little worried about Mokuba, but he fell asleep soon enough.

The next day, Yugi barely ate anything at breakfast. He was glad it was the weekend because he certainly didn't feel like being at school.

_"Yugi, let's go now if it'll make you feel better,"_ said Yami.

"Okay," said Yugi. "I'll be back in awhile, Grandpa."

"All right," said Solomon.

Yugi hurried out the door and towards the Kaiba mansion.

"I wonder how Mokuba's holding up," wondered Yugi.

_"Stop worrying so much,"_ said Yami.

"I just don't like seeing my friends sad, and you don't either."

_"I know, but I'm sure Mokuba will be fine."_

"Yeah, you're probably right."

After awhile, they arrived at Mokuba's. The mansion seemed different now. The Kaiba mansion just didn't seem complete without Kaiba there. Yugi sighed and pushed open the gates. He walked up to the front doors and knocked a couple of times. Eventually, Chelsi came to the door.

"Hello," she greeted. "I suppose you're here to see Mokuba."

"Yes, is he around?" asked Yugi.

"Yes, he just hasn't stopped cryin' all mornin'," Chelsi told him. "Perhaps you could cheer him up a bit."

"I'll see what I can do."

Chelsi led him upstairs to Kaiba's room where Tilly was comforting Mokuba.

"C'mon, Sis" said Chelsi. "Mokuba has company."

Tilly looked over and saw Yugi.

"Mokuba," she said. "Yugi came to see you."

Mokuba didn't seem to care. He just kept on crying as if no one said anything. Tilly stood up and Mokuba buried his face into a pillow and kept on crying. She walked over to her sister and Yugi.

"I'm not sure he'll want to talk, Yugi," said Tilly.

"I know," said Yugi.

"C'mon, Til," said Chelsi. "We'll leave these two alone for now."

Chelsi and Tilly walked out the door leaving Yugi and Mokuba alone.

"What should I say to him?" Yugi asked Yami.

_"Just be a friend to him,"_ Yami answered.

Yugi nodded and walked over to Mokuba. Yugi remembered the last time he'd been in Kaiba's room. That was the night Anubis almost killed Mokuba.

"Mokuba," said Yugi.

Mokuba kept crying.

"Come on, Mokuba," said Yugi. "Don't be sad."

"You'd be sad too," sobbed Mokuba.

"I know, but..."

"BUT NOTHING!" yelled Mokuba. "I don't want to talk about any of this right now!"

"We don't have to," said Yugi.

Just then, the phone rang. Mokuba looked at it in horror, knowing who it probably was. Mokuba rolled over, picked up the phone, and slammed it back down onto the receiver.

"What was that about?" asked Yugi.

"None of your business!"

"Okay," said Yugi, getting wide-eyed.

"I'm not trying to be rude, but I just want to be alone," said Mokuba sadly.

"I understand," said Yugi. "I just came by to check up on you."

"I know," he said. "Thanks."

"Hey, you should come by the game shop sometime," suggested Yugi. "We can all hang out."

"Maybe."

"Then, I'll see you later," said Yugi.

"I guess."

"Bye, Mokuba."

"Bye."

Yugi felt bad about leaving Mokuba there, but he did have Tilly and Chelsi. Yugi left the Kaiba mansion, still feeling bad.

_"Yugi, don't worry about him,"_ said Yami. _"He needs to get used to life without his older brother, and then he'll be back to normal."_

"Are you sure?" asked Yugi.

"Doesn't it sound right to you?"

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean it'll happen."

"Yugi, start thinking positive."

Yugi smiled at Yami's remark, but the smile didn't last long. He was worried. He had to get Mokuba out of the house and around the town to have fun. That would be the right thing to do. Yugi walked the rest of the way home in silence.


	2. Pressure

**Chapter 2: Pressure**

"Mokuba, what would you like for dinner?" asked Tilly later that day.

"Nothing," he answered her.

"What!" she gasped. "How can you not be hungry?"

"I'm just not hungry right now."

"Are you sure? Would you like me to fix something for you for later?"

"No. That's okay."

"Mokuba..."

"Don't worry about it."

"All right," she said.

She knew he missed his older brother, but she didn't know he wouldn't eat! He was starting to have the appetite of his brother who never seemed hungry. Tilly sighed. She couldn't do anything for him and she knew it. Mokuba had to work this out himself.

"You can go home now if you want to," said Mokuba, snapping Tilly from her thoughts.

"What?"

"You can go home," he repeated. "You need to get your rest."

"Okay Mokuba, but if you need me or my sister just call and we'll be right over," said Tilly.

"I will."

Tilly gave Mokuba a hug before she left the room, grabbed her sister, and left the Kaiba mansion. He was all alone again. Mokuba didn't really want them to go, but he couldn't bring himself to tell them. He didn't like being alone. Especially now since his brother died. Mokuba never told Seto that he didn't like being alone. Actually, there was a lot that Mokuba didn't tell his brother, but now it was too late. Mokuba hugged the pillow tightly. Then, the phone rang. Mokuba didn't move for awhile. He wished it was his brother calling from work, but it wasn't going to be and he knew it. After the phone rang for what seemed like an eternity, he answered it. He didn't even get a chance to say anything before she spoke.

"What took you so long?" asked Natalie.

"Why do you have to keep calling me?" asked Mokuba, completely ignoring her question.

"I just need an answer," she said. "Then, I might leave you alone."

"Natalie, I can't think right now. Please stop bugging me about Kaiba Corp."

"You're the one making this harder. If you'd answer my question, I wouldn't have to be so annoying to get an answer from you."

Mokuba didn't want to hear anymore. He quickly slammed the phone back down on the receiver, ran downstairs, and unplugged the phone line. That should give him some peace for now. After that, he decided that maybe he should think about what to do with Kaiba Corp. At first, he was thinking of letting Roland, Tilly, and Chelsi take over, but now he wasn't so sure. He wished he knew more about that Natalie girl. She still reminded him of someone, but he still couldn't think of who it was. Mokuba knew his brother wouldn't sell the company to someone else, but what would he do? Seto wasn't the one making the decision. Mokuba sighed.

"What am I going to do?" Mokuba asked himself. "I need help."

Mokuba walked to the sliding glass doors, opened them, and walked outside. The sun was setting outside, coloring the skies pink. He leaned against the railing and to watch. He looked up towards the sky.

"Why'd you leave me here?" asked Mokuba. "You promised."

Mokuba's gaze slowly turned towards the ground as tears started to fall from his eyes.

"I need your help. Why aren't you here? You...you were supposed to stay with me forever! I don't know what I should do! You know I don't want Kaiba Corp, but I feel like I should keep it for you. Please help me, Seto!"

Mokuba stayed outside and cried for awhile. Mokuba needed comfort, but there was no one around to get any from. Even if there was someone around it wouldn't have mattered. He wanted his brother's comfort. It was dark out before Mokuba went back inside the empty house. He went around and locked all the doors and turned on the security system. Seto had made the code his birthday, 7-7-93. Mokuba sighed again. He wasn't sure of what to do at this moment. Something inside was telling him to check on the computer, so he went upstairs to his brother's office to get his laptop. He turned it on and logged onto the internet to find he had what seemed like billions of pieces of mail from Natalie!

"She just won't quit," said Mokuba.

He went down the line and deleted all of them. It literally took him about a half an hour! All her e-mails made him think that he should just give the company to her. It would be out of his hair, but how could he give up something that his brother worked so hard to build up? Mokuba sat on the floor, thinking about his little dilemma. After awhile, he decided he was going to give her Kaiba Corp. Mokuba couldn't think of anything to make. He couldn't create things like his brother could. He'd destroy Kaiba Corp faster than bad publicity. Mokuba was about to get off when a voice spoke through his computer

"Mokuba, whatever you do don't give up Kaiba Corp."

Mokuba looked at the screen. It didn't say anyone was talking to him. Was he hearing things? He decided that his mind had been playing tricks on him when he heard the voice again.

"Please, Mokuba, don't do it. You have to keep Kaiba Corp! You can't let her have it!"

"Who...who's there?" Mokuba stuttered. The voice sounded very familiar to him.

"You don't remember me?"

"I'm trying to."

"Here, let me help you a little bit more."

Just then a webcam box popped up revealing the face of a boy. Mokuba's eyes widened.

"Remember me now?"


	3. Strange Entities

**Chapter 3: Strange Entities**

Mokuba kept looking at the screen in amazement.

"But how can you be there?" asked Mokuba. "You're dead."

"Hey that's not very nice to say," answered the boy, "especially because I came just to see you."

Mokuba still stared at the screen in amazement. The boy on his screen had blue eyes and blue-green hair. Mokuba couldn't believe it, but the boy in front of him was his step-brother, Noah!

"Noah, how...how did you survive the blast when the virtual world was destroyed?" asked Mokuba.

"I saved a piece of me to both yours and Seto's computers," he answered with a smile. Then, his smiled changed to a look of sadness. "I heard about your brother."

"Who hasn't by now?"

"I'm sorry, Mokuba."

"You and the rest of the world."

"But you can't give up Kaiba Corp to Natalie," said Noah, changing his tone again.

"Why not?"

"She'll change it back to the way it used to be! She'll destroy everything Seto created!"

Mokuba looked down sadly, thinking about what Noah said. Could what he was saying be true?

"How do you know?" asked Mokuba.

"Trust me, I have my ways," winked Noah.

"I can't run Kaiba Corp!" cried Mokuba. "I'd like to for my big brother, but I told him I didn't want it. Also, I'm only nine!"

"I can always help you out," said Noah. "I saved my file to all of your guys' computers. Even the ones at Kaiba Corp."

"It doesn't matter, Noah."

"Doesn't matter? What would Seto say if he heard you talking like this?"

"Well he isn't going to hear me talking like this is he!" snapped Mokuba.

Noah jumped in surprise of Mokuba's sudden outburst, "I'm sorry."

"I miss him, Noah. Is there any way to get him back?"

"No."

"Why can't we digitize his mind like your dad did to you?"

"For one thing, we'd need his body," said Noah. "We'd also need the technology my father used on me, and we don't have that. I would do anything to get him back for you if there was a way."

Mokuba looked away from the screen. He felt like crying, but didn't want to in front of his step-brother.

"I'll tell you what," said Noah. "I could act like some-what of an older brother to you. I am your older step-brother after all."

Mokuba didn't answer him.

"Come on. You have to let me do something to help you. Hey, I even look like your brother."

"It's still not the same, Noah," said Mokuba, turning his gaze back at the computer. "No one can take Seto's place."

"I never said I was going to take his place, but I just want you to know that you're not alone."

"No, I don't have anyone left!"

"Mokuba..."

"You're on a computer! How do I even know you're actually Noah and not something put there by Natalie?"

Noah didn't say anything. He only kept a look of concern on his face as he looked on at Mokuba.

"My big brother is gone! He's never coming back! He promised he'd be here for me when I needed him and he isn't here!"

"Maybe you don't need your brother anymore," said Noah.

Mokuba didn't want to hear anymore. He quickly signed off the internet and shut down his computer. After that, he ran back down to Seto's room and crawled under the blankets. He couldn't believe what he'd heard. Why wouldn't he need Seto still? He promised to be there! He promised!

"I need you," whispered Mokuba.

Then, Mokuba heard knocking on the front door. He looked out the window to see who it was, but he couldn't make out the person. He wondered if he should answer the door or act like he wasn't there, but he decided to go open it. He walked down the staircase and opened the doors.

"Hi Mokuba," greeted Natalie.

"Why...why are you here?" asked Mokuba.

"It said your phone line had been disconnected."

"Listen, I thought about it," said Mokuba.

"Really?" she said. "Then what's your answer?"

"I decided that I'm going to keep it."

"You're going to keep it?" Natalie scoffed.

"Yes."

"What are you going to do with Kaiba Corp?" she snapped.

"I was..."

"You were what? You're going to be the president of Kaiba Corp?"

"I was going to let Roland or Tilly or Chelsi take that spot for me. Just like someone did the vice-president work for me."

"You're going to let people do things for you? Is that how your life is going to be until the day you die? How can you get anywhere in life if you let other people do your job!"

"I'm only a kid, Natalie," said Mokuba, showing a hint of fear in his voice from her outbursts.

"Exactly! You should give Kaiba Corp to someone else, not to some low class servants!"

"They aren't servants!" Mokuba snapped back. "They're my friends!"

"Mokuba, what could they do to make Kaiba Corp better? What can they do? Tell me!"

"What would you do with it?" asked Mokuba.

"What?"

"You heard me. What would you do with it?"

Natalie stood there staring at Mokuba, "A lot more than those fools could do."

"That's not answering my question. What did you plan on doing with Kaiba Corp?"

"Run it the way it was meant to be!" she snapped.

"That's not a good enough answer!"

"Look you little brat, I'm fourteen and you're nine. I don't think you should be speaking to me in that tone of voice!"

"Get away from my house."

"What?"

"I told you no, so get off my property before I call the police!" yelled Mokuba.

Natalie glared at him, "Fine, I'll leave, but this isn't going to be our last encounter, Mokuba."

She turned and walked away. Mokuba gave a sigh of relief and locked the door again. Mokuba wanted to know what she meant by, _"This isn't going to be our last encounter."_ He hoped he'd never have to see her again. Then, Mokuba realized something. Her appearance was similar to that of Noah's! But why? He shook an idea from his head. They couldn't be. Could they?

* * *

As Natalie walked down the streets of Domino, she let her anger show. She would throw things, kick trash, and swear at anyone who looked at her. How could that little brat so no to her! She always got what she wanted. As she kept walking, a gang member stepped in front of her.

"Get out of my way!" she snapped at him.

"Not until I have a little ' fun' with you," he smirked.

Natalie didn't take kindly to that. She quickly jabbed her elbow into his stomach, and shoved him against a wall.

"I don't think so tough guy," she hissed at him. She threw him to the ground and continued walking. She was devising a plan in her head. Mokuba must miss his brother so she could help rub that fact in, or she could do something better. She smirked, thinking of one of the rare artifacts that was "given" to her. It may be able to help out in the situation. Mokuba would suffer because of his answer. She hurried back to her and her mother's apartment and quickly ran to her room.

* * *

At Yugi's house, they were trying to call Mokuba, but couldn't get through.

" I wonder what's goin' on over there," said Joey.

"So do I," said Yugi.

"Don't worry about it, Yugi," said Téa.

"The phone line is disconnected," he said. "I want to know why."

"Maybe he doesn't want anyone to bother him," suggested Tristan. "If someone in my family died, I'd probably want to be left alone for a little bit."

"I know but..."

"Yugi, you are worryin' a lot about him," said Joey. "Why?"

"I...I'm not sure," answered Yugi. "It's not just feeling bad for him. There's something else inside that's making me worry so much."

"What?" asked Tristan.

"I'm not sure," said Yugi.

_"I wouldn't worry about it, Yugi, he'll be fine,"_ said Yami.

Yugi sighed. He didn't know what to do or know how to feel right now.

* * *

Back at the Kaiba mansion, Mokuba was sitting in a rocking recliner chair. He used to sit with Seto in it all the time. Then, Mokuba heard a noise in the kitchen. He was a bit frightened. He was supposed to be home alone, and the alarm system was activated. No one would've been able to get in without him knowing! He heard the water turn on and heard the sound of it filling up a cup. Mokuba was beginning to get even more scared. Then, a voice yelled out at him.

"Mokuba, come here!"

Mokuba sat up straight. It couldn't be him.

"Now!" it yelled out again.

Mokuba got up and walked over towards the kitchen and looked inside. Mokuba eyes widened at the sight. He saw his older brother sitting at the kitchen table waiting for him. Mokuba couldn't believe it. His brother was here! Without thinking, Mokuba ran over to him and threw his arms around him.

"Seto, you're here!"

Kaiba didn't do anything. He kept his gaze straight in front of him, and didn't move at all when Mokuba hugged him. Mokuba let go of his brother and looked at him.

"Are you okay?"

"No," he answered.

"What's wrong?"

"You're what's wrong."

Kaiba got up and walked over to the doorway of the kitchen. Mokuba stared at him. Would his brother really say that to him?

"Seto, I don't understand. What did I do?"

"You ruined my life!" he snapped at Mokuba.

"H-how?" asked Mokuba.

His brother smirked.

"I had a perfect life. I had a mother and a father who cared about me more than anything in the world. Then, Mama became pregnant with you."

Mokuba kept his eyes on his older brother.

"Before you existed, I was loved by my parents. They were so proud that their son was a genius. Dad didn't work half as much as he did after Mom died. He actually spent time with me. After you came along, he completely forgot about me. He gave all his love to you and there was none left for me!" He punched the wall.

Mokuba was shocked. Mokuba knew their dad loved both of them. Why would Seto say otherwise?

"You broke up my family, Mokuba!" yelled Kaiba. "My mother died because of you. It's all your fault! If you had never been born, I would still have my mother and my father. I wouldn't have had to say hello to a life I would hate and good-bye to the one I loved!"

Mokuba shook his head slowly from side to side as tears formed in his eyes.

"Dad forced me to grow up when I was six years old so he could work non-stop as I took care of you all day! You didn't even care about me!"

Mokuba was horrified.

"Seto, I loved you then too!"

"No, you loved Dad. You love him now too. I look like him and you want me to act like him. You kept comparing me to him! Why would you do that unless you wanted him and not me? I wasn't a good enough person for you!"

"That's not true!" shouted Mokuba. "I loved you!"

"You loved Dad, and that was your second mistake in life. You decided to trust a liar. Do you know how he lied to you, Mokuba? He made false promises to you. He didn't have to work half as much as he did. He told us that we needed the money but we had plenty of it! He promised to spend time with you every Sunday, but he always went to work anyways!"

"Seto, stop!" cried Mokuba.

"It's true."

"Seto, why are you doing this?"

"Do you know what your first mistake in life was? Do you?" Kaiba walked over and grabbed a hold of Mokuba's arms. "Do you!"

"Seto, you're hurting me," squeaked Mokuba. His brother tightened his grip even more after he said it.

"Answer me!"

"N...no," sobbed Mokuba.

Kaiba threw Mokuba to the ground and turned and walked out of the room.

"It was coming into existence!"

Mokuba got back up and ran after his older brother. When he got outside to the main hall, Seto was nowhere to be found. Mokuba looked all over the house, but there was no sign of Seto even being there. Even the cup of water he'd gotten was gone. Mokuba wondered if he'd hallucinated the whole thing, but if he did, why did his arms hurt so badly where Seto had grabbed them?


	4. Skeptical Minds

**Chapter 4: Skeptical Minds**

The next day, Yugi was finally able to get through to Mokuba.

"Are you okay?" Yugi asked him.

"Yeah, why?" asked Mokuba.

"You seem rattled or something."

"Oh," said Mokuba. "I... I had a bad dream."

The truth was that Mokuba was a bit rattled. He was still a bit shaken from Seto's little visit the night before. He was still wondering if it had really happened. Why would Seto treat him that way though? Mokuba noticed that Yugi hadn't said anything and added, "I'm okay."

"Mokuba, you should come out to my house today," said Yugi.

"I don't know, Yugi," said Mokuba. "I'm not feeling up to going anywhere right now."

"I could get Joey, Tristan, and Téa and we could all come out to your house then," said Yugi, not giving up on trying to cheer Mokuba up.

"Sure," said Mokuba.

"Okay, we'll be there in an hour."

"Okay."

Mokuba heard Yugi hang up and then he hung up too. Mokuba didn't know what to do until then. He hadn't been in the mood to do much of anything. He started to walk to the main hall when he heard the front door slam. He figured Tilly and Chelsi must have come, but if it was them Chelsi would have made that known by yelling out something. Mokuba kept walking and found his older brother standing in front of the door.

"Big...big brother," said Mokuba. It was happening again.

Kaiba glared at Mokuba with ice cold eyes as if Mokuba had done something horrible.

"Mokuba, do you understand the consequences of what you've done?" snapped Kaiba.

"I...I...what did I do?" stuttered Mokuba.

"YOU KNOW DAMN WELL WHAT YOU DID!" yelled Kaiba.

Mokuba cowered in fear. His brother never cussed at or around him before.

"Look around you, Mokuba," said Kaiba. "What do you see?"

Mokuba didn't know how to answer his older brother.

"WHOSE HOUSE IS THIS, MOKUBA?" yelled Kaiba.

"Our...ours," Mokuba answered timidly.

"WRONG ANSWER!"

Mokuba didn't know what was going on. Why would Seto be yelling at him like this? He hadn't done anything!

"THIS IS OUR STEP-FATHER'S HOME! IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT THAT WE'RE HERE!"

"No!" cried Mokuba.

"EVERYTHING IS YOUR FAULT! IT'S YOUR FAULT OUR MOTHER IS DEAD! IT'S YOUR FAULT OUR DAD IS DEAD! IT'S YOUR FAULT THAT WE GOT ADOPTED BY GOZABURO WHICH MAKES IT YOUR FAULT THAT I BECAME THE PERSON I AM!"

"Big Brother, please stop," choked out Mokuba. He was beginning to cry. He was afraid Seto would say something like that. Mokuba always thought that whenever his brother told him it wasn't his fault for their mother's death that it was a lie and that he was just trying to get him to feel better. Mokuba also felt that it was his fault Seto was changed. He wanted Mokuba to have a home so he had Gozaburo adopt them, and because of that Seto was changed by their step-father.

"H...how is it my fault that Dad is dead?"

"You could've kept him from going out that day. You could've cried to make him stay at the house, but you didn't. You let him go and then he died! It's your fault."

"Seto, why are you doing this?"

"To teach you a lesson. This will teach you from getting into other peoples' lives because you'll only ruin them!"

Mokuba ran up to his older brother and stood in front of him.

"Seto, I know all of this is my fault, but why did you always tell me that it wasn't my fault Mama died?"

Seto raised his hand high into the air and brought it down, striking his brother in the face causing him to fall to the floor. Mokuba held his hand to his left cheek. It stung horribly.

"You are to never talk about her again. You are never to say her name."

Tears flowed like small streams from Mokuba's eyes as his brother spoke to him.

"STOP YOUR CRYING!" Kaiba yelled.

This only made Mokuba cry harder.

"And you think you can run Kaiba Corp? Look at yourself. You're a weak and frightened little child."

"I...I don't think I can...run Kaiba Corp," Mokuba squeaked.

"THEN WHY DID YOU KEEP IT! WHY WOULD YOU KEEP SOMETHING YOU DIDN'T EVEN WANT?"

"Be...because...it was your company," sobbed Mokuba. "I kept it...so...I'd still have...a piece of you."

"Why? You loved Dad more than me. Go find a way to keep him close to your heart."

"I loved you and Daddy the same," cried Mokuba. "Why won't you believe me?"

"Why wouldn't you believe me when I told you it wasn't your fault our mother died?"

"I...I did believe you."

"Apparently not very much or else you would have quit crying about it!"

"But..."

"NO BUTS! I've had it with you. You should be dead, not me."

Mokuba gasped. Why did Seto have to be so cold to him? Mokuba missed his brother, and there he was in front of him. Only Seto was yelling at the top of his lungs at him instead of giving him hugs like he wanted! All of this was making Mokuba feel worse than he already did!

Kaiba gave Mokuba one last stone cold glare, sending chills up Mokuba's spine. Then, Kaiba opened the door, walked outside, and slammed it shut. Mokuba quickly got up, ran over to the door, and opened it. Mokuba gasped.

"Hey, Mokuba," greeted Yugi. "We're early. I hope that's okay."

Mokuba shoved passed Yugi and his friends and looked around the yard.

"Um...what are you doing?" asked Téa.

"Did any of you see my brother?" asked Mokuba.

Everyone stood there, unsure of what to say.

"Did I hear you right, Mokuba?" asked Joey. "Did you say somethin' about seein' your brother?"

"Yes!" cried Mokuba.

Yugi, Téa, and Joey looked at each other.

"Aww man," Joey whispered to Yugi. "I think Mokuba has finally lost it."

Yugi was on the verge of agreeing with Joey but thought better of saying anything.

"He...he just...he just left!" Mokuba cried at them. "How could you not have seen him?"

"Mokuba, I hate to break this to you," began Joey, "but your brother is dead."

"I...I...but he...he came back here and..."

"Mokuba, are you sure you're okay?" asked Yugi. "Maybe you should lie down for awhile."

"Yeah," agreed Téa.

"No, he was here!"

Mokuba ran around to the backyard followed closely by his friends. Mokuba collapsed to his knees and sat on the ground, just staring out into the open, tears still streaming down his face. Yugi came up and put his arms on Mokuba's shoulders.

"Mokuba, your brother wasn't here," Yugi told him.

"But...but he was here..."

"Mokuba, I know this has all been hard on you, but your brother is gone," said Yugi, his voice shaking.

"He was...in the mansion with me."

"He couldn't have been," said Téa. "That's not possible."

"C'mon Mokuba, you're scaring us," said Joey.

"I want my brother!"

Mokuba grabbed a hold of Yugi and cried. After awhile, Joey pried Mokuba off Yugi and they took him inside the mansion. They sat Mokuba down on the couch and had to pry his arms off Joey too! Eventually, Mokuba calmed down a bit and they could talk to him.

"I thought...Tristan was coming," said Mokuba.

"He couldn't," said Yugi. "He had to watch his nephew today."

"Oh," said Mokuba.

"Mokuba, are you sure you're feeling okay?" asked Téa. "Are you sick or something?"

"I'm fine, but I saw my big brother!"

"Mokuba, I think all the stress has gotten to you," said Yugi.

"No, he was at the front doors, and he was yelling at me!"

"Why would your brother yell at you?" asked Joey. "I can understand him yelling at anyone else..."

"BECAUSE HE WAS!" Mokuba yelled. "IT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS WHY HE WAS YELLING AT ME!"

Everyone became wide-eyed at Mokuba's sudden outburst.

_"Gee,"_ thought Joey. _"He already sounds like his brother."_

"Mokuba, calm down," said Yugi.

"Hey, what happened to your face?" asked Téa.

Téa had noticed that Mokuba's cheek was red. Mokuba put his hand over it to stop Yugi and Joey from looking at it too.

"What's wrong with it, Téa?" asked Yugi.

"It's really red."

"Let us take a look at it, Mokuba," said Joey.

"No!" cried Mokuba.

Mokuba jumped up off the couch and passed them to get to the other side of the room. He wanted to stay away from them. They didn't believe him about his older brother! Why wouldn't they believe him? He never lied about anything. Mokuba knew that his brother had actually been there or else he wouldn't actually be hurt. Mokuba didn't know how it was possible either, but he knew that Seto had been standing in front of him! He heard Joey whispering something to Téa and Yugi. He couldn't hear it, but he was certain it had something to do with him. Why wouldn't it? Then, Joey came over and tapped his shoulder.

"What?" asked Mokuba sadly.

"Mokuba, could you turn around for a sec?" asked Joey.

Mokuba didn't answer. He just stood in front of the window in silence. Joey got impatient with Mokuba and grabbed his arms and turned him around.

"Ow!" cried Mokuba.

"What? I didn't have that strong a grip on you."

"What's wrong with your arms?" asked Yugi.

"Nothing," said Mokuba.

"Dude, are you hurting yourself?" asked Joey.


	5. Familiar Feelings

**Chapter 5: Familiar Feelings**

Mokuba looked at Joey, shocked at the question he'd just heard. He couldn't believe it. His friends thought he was hurting himself! Why would he do that? Sure he was alone, but he'd never resort to that to make him feel better!

"Wh-what?" asked Mokuba.

"You heard me," said Joey.

"I...why would you think that?" asked Mokuba.

"There's no one else here to hurt you."

"My brother did this to me!" cried Mokuba.

Téa, Yugi, and Joey exchanged glances.

"Mokuba, we wouldn't normally think that, but you're talking crazy. Kaiba is dead. He couldn't have done this to you," said Yugi.

"Yeah, you must've imagined him doin' this to you," said Joey.

"No, I wouldn't do this to myself. How could I hit myself so hard that it hurts this bad?" Mokuba asked.

"You didn't have to slap yourself," said Joey. "You could have run into something."

Mokuba was still horrified. He couldn't believe they were suggesting this.

"Why won't you guys believe me?" Mokuba cried at them.

"Mokuba, Kaiba is dead," said Joey. "He isn't doing this to you."

"I'm not lying to you!" exclaimed Mokuba.

"Maybe we should get you some help," suggested Téa.

"No, I don't need help!" cried Mokuba.

"Judging by you being hurt and you being alone, I'd say you need help," said Joey. "Isn't that right, Yugi?"

Yugi didn't know what to do. He didn't want to think of Mokuba harming himself to feel better about Kaiba's death, but what other option did they have here? What if Tilly, Chelsi, or Roland was hurting him? No, Kaiba trusted them. They wouldn't do anything like that to Mokuba. If they had, they would have been fired a long time ago, but that didn't mean they didn't start afterwards. He shook the thought from his mind. Yugi was about to speak when Yami took over for him.

"I suggest we wait awhile," Yami told Joey.

"What!"

"I have a feeling about something," said Yami. "I think we should wait for awhile before we get Mokuba help."

"You believe me, Yugi?" asked Mokuba.

"I'm not sure what to believe right now, Mokuba, but I am willing to trust your word for now."

"Yugi, how could you say that?" asked Téa. "We have the proof."

"Yeah," agreed Joey.

"Trust me," said Yami.

Téa and Joey still weren't so sure about his idea, but trusted him none the less. Mokuba ran over and hugged Yami, happy that someone decided to listen to him.

"Why don't we go to the arcade?" suggested Yami.

"Yeah, that'll take our minds off of what happened," smiled Téa.

"Maybe Mokuba could beat his brother's high scores!" joked Joey.

Mokuba gave a small smile.

"What do you say, Mokuba?" asked Yami.

"I don't know," he answered.

"Please," said Joey.

"C'mon you know you'd have lots of fun," said Téa.

Mokuba looked up at Yami who nodded in agreement with Téa and decided to go.

"Awesome!" cried Joey. "Let's get going!"

* * *

"My feet hurt!" complained Joey. "Couldn't you have gotten us here in one of your limos?"

"I could have," said Mokuba.

"Joey, we're almost there," said Téa.

"Someone please carry me," said Joey.

"Quit being such a whiner, Joey," said Téa.

Mokuba and Yami laughed at Téa and Joey as they continued arguing.

_"Wow,"_ said Yugi. _"This is the happiest I've seen Mokuba since Kaiba died!"_

"Mmhmm," agreed Yami.

_"I hope he stays like this._

"So do I."

After a few minutes, they all arrived outside of the Domino Arcade and went inside to play games. Joey kept challenging Mokuba to fighting games and lost every time. Téa was the queen of the dance floor, and Yami found some willing opponents to duel. Everyone was having a good time. After awhile, they all went to a pizza parlor and ate some food.

"I can't believe Mokuba kept beating me!" cried Joey. Mokuba smiled.

"What did you expect?" asked Téa. "He is Seto Kaiba's little brother."

"That is no excuse!"

"Calm down, Joey," Yami laughed.

"I'd like to see you try to calm down after being beaten ten times in a row!"

"I beat you fifteen times in a row," corrected Mokuba.

"What? Fifteen?"

"I think you need to learn to count," joked Téa.

"Shut up!"

They all sat around laughing at one another for the next half hour, then went outside and walked around the city.

"We should do this again tomorrow," said Téa.

"Yeah," agreed Joey. "Then maybe Tristan could come with us."

"Do you really want Tristan to witness you being beaten by Mokuba over and over again?" asked Yami.

"Shut up!"

"What do you say, Mokuba?" asked Téa.

"I don't know about tomorrow," he said.

"Why not?"

"I might just stay home tomorrow."

"You said you weren't up to going out anywhere today," said Yami.

"Yeah, and look at you now," said Joey.

"I know," said Mokuba.

"Actually, I'm not so sure it's a good idea to leave you at that house alone," said Joey.

"I'm not doing this to myself!" cried Mokuba. "I told you it was..."

"Your brother," finished Joey. "We know."

Mokuba started to look sad again and Téa elbowed Joey in the side.

"Good going!" she hissed into his ear.

"I want to go home now," said Mokuba.

"I think you should stay out with us for awhile longer," said Yami. "You can pick what we do next."

"I'd rather go home," said Mokuba. "I'm tired."

"Are you sure?" asked Téa.

"Yeah."

Mokuba stopped, about to turn around, when he caught a glimpse of his brother! Mokuba gasped.

"What?" asked Joey.

"N-nothing," answered Mokuba.

He looked in front of him again and saw Kaiba standing at the corner of the sidewalk, waiting for him. Mokuba took off running in the other direction, surprising his friends.

"What's he doing?" asked Joey.

"I don't know, but we need to follow him," said Yami. "Something is wrong."

Mokuba ran down the sidewalk, passed other people out walking, and passed many buildings. Finally, Mokuba stopped and looked behind him. His brother wasn't there. Mokuba smiled then turned to start walking and ran into someone. He looked up to find it was Kaiba! He smirked at Mokuba and shoved him into the alley beside them.

"Seto, what are you doing?" asked Mokuba.

* * *

Eventually, Yami, Joey, and Téa caught up to where they thought Mokuba had gone. They looked all around but couldn't find a trace of him.

"Do you think he's going home?" Téa asked Yami.

"It's possible," he answered.

"You guys," said Joey who had walked into the alley. "I found him."

Téa and Yami ran over to where Joey was standing and gasped. Mokuba was lying on the ground beside a pile of old boxes. He looked like someone had just beaten him up! He was unconscious and bleeding.

"We have to get him to the hospital!" cried Téa.

* * *

After an hour, the doctor came out to tell the gang the news about Mokuba.

"He'll be just fine," said the doctor.

"Thank goodness," sighed Téa.

"You're sure you didn't see who did this to him?" asked the doctor.

"We're positive," answered Joey. "We were practically right on Mokuba's trail when he ran off. I don't get how anyone got to him before we found him."

"He told us that he didn't see anything either. This seems very strange. He should have constant super vision."

"No problem, we'll take care of that," said Joey.

"When can Mokuba come home?" asked Téa.

"Anytime," said the doctor. "Just make sure he rests a bit."

"Will do," said Joey.

A few minutes later a nurse walked out with Mokuba at her side. He had bandages all over him and looked as if he was in pain from walking.

_"Yami, I don't understand how that happened to him,"_ said Yugi. _"He apparently couldn't have done that to himself."_

"Yugi, I know that you're worried, but we'll keep an eye on Mokuba," Yami told him. "Perhaps he could stay with us."

"Come on, Mokuba," said Téa. "We'll take you back home."

They walked outside and all of them watched as Mokuba's face scrunched in pain at every step he took.

"Do you want a cab to drive you home?" asked Joey. "Or can you call someone to drive one of your limos out here or something?"

"I'll be okay," Mokuba said quietly.

"Mokuba, are you sure you didn't see anything when you were attacked?" asked Téa, still concerned about him.

Mokuba looked at her sadly, "My brother did this to me."

"That's it!" cried Joey. "There is no way that Kaiba did this to you!"

"I know you guys don't believe me, but I'm not going crazy."

Mokuba started walking away again, but Yami stepped in front of him.

"Mokuba, you're in no shape to be walking back home," he said.

"My brother wouldn't complain about being hurt like this," said Mokuba.

"Yeah, but he probably wouldn't get hurt like that," said Joey.

"Kaiba wouldn't let you walk home like this," said Yami.

"I know, but..."

"But nothing," said Joey. You shouldn't be walking around."

"I don't want to ride in a cab or a limo."

"Why don't we go to my home?" suggested Yami. "It's closer than the mansion if you really want to walk."

Mokuba didn't argue. They all agreed to go back to the game shop, and let Mokuba stay there for the rest of the night. Mokuba slept in Yugi's room again which left Yugi on the couch. It took them all awhile to get Mokuba up the stairs. Eventually, Joey picked him up and took him upstairs. Mokuba squeaked in pain but he was happy he was going to sleep in a soft bed. He went directly to bed that night.

"Poor, Mokuba," said Solomon.

"If only we knew who did that to him," said Téa.

"He doesn't know who attacked him?" asked Solomon.

"He said it was his brother," said Yami.

"Don't tell me you actually believe him!" exclaimed Joey.

"This all seems familiar, but something isn't adding up," Yami told them.

They all stared at him.

"What do you mean, Yugi?" asked Solomon.

"I'm not so sure at the moment," Yami answered. "I just have a feeling that this kind of thing has happened before."

"Don't worry about it," was all Joey could think to say.


	6. Warning

**Chapter 6: Warning**

Mokuba awoke the next morning feeling very sore. He was still very achy and could barely stand it. He wanted to go home. Or did he? He wasn't sure what he wanted to do anymore. He was afraid that if he was alone his brother would come back and hurt him again! It could be even worse this time.

"Why are you doing this to me, Seto?" Mokuba whispered.

He sat in the bed thinking about all the good times he'd had with his older brother when he heard someone knocking on the door, breaking him from his thoughts.

"Can I come in?" asked Yugi from the other side.

"Sure," Mokuba answered.

Yugi opened the door and walked inside. He smiled at Mokuba, but he only turned his gaze away from Yugi.

"Mokuba, I wanted to know if I could get you something," said Yugi.

"No thanks."

"You aren't hungry or thirsty?"

"No."

"Come on Mokuba, don't worry about this," said Yugi.

"I want to know why Seto is hurting me," said Mokuba.

"What?"

"My brother keeps hurting me, and I didn't do any..." Mokuba trailed off.

He remembered his brother's words. He did deserve to be hurt like this. All of this was his fault. Mokuba started to feel horrible again. Maybe his brother was happier dead. Then again, he yelled at Mokuba that he should be dead instead. Either way Seto was away from Mokuba.

"My brother hates me."

"Kaiba didn't hate you," Yugi told him. "He risked his life to try and save yours. How could he have hated you?"

"I ruined everything for him!"

"How?"

"I killed our mom."

"What!" Yugi gasped.

"When I was born," Mokuba added. "It's all my fault that she's dead."

"Did he tell you that?"

"Not before he died," said Mokuba. "When I saw him the first time since he'd died, he told me it was all my fault."

"Mokuba, I don't think Kaiba would tell you that," said Yugi.

"Then why did he?" Mokuba asked sadly.

"I think you hallucinated it."

"Look at me, Yugi! My brother did this to me! Does that look like I hallucinated that!"

"I don't know who did that to you, but it couldn't have been Kaiba..."

"How would you know? You weren't there!"

"I know because Kaiba is dead."

Mokuba didn't want to hear anymore. He wanted to go home.

_"Yugi, let me talk to him for a moment,"_ said Yami.

"What are you going to do?" asked Yugi.

_"You'll see."_

"Yugi, I want to go home," said Mokuba.

"Wait Mokuba," Yami said. "I need to ask you something."

"What?"

"What did you fear?"

Mokuba looked at him, "Why?"

"Just answer my question."

"What do you mean?"

"What were you afraid that your brother would say to you? What did you believe that you thought your brother would agree with?"

"I..."

"What has your brother told you?"

"He said it was my fault that dad was dead, that mom was dead, for getting adopted by Gozaburo, for the way he changed, and stuff like that," Mokuba told him.

"Did you tell him that you thought all of those were your fault?"

"Only about our mom, but he always told me it wasn't my fault."

"I think I know what's going on," said Yami.

"What!" cried Mokuba.

"Mokuba, I'll take you home, but I'm going to stay there the rest of the day with you," said Yami.

"Why?" asked Mokuba.

"There's one more thing I have to check. I want to see if your brother comes again."

"You do believe me," said Mokuba.

"Yes, I do, but I need to see if he comes back again to check if what I'm thinking is right."

Mokuba nodded.

* * *

Later, Yami and Mokuba had arrived at the Kaiba mansion. This time they had a ride there in one of Kaiba's limos. They went into the front room and sat on the couch for awhile. Yami wasn't sure of what to do next. All they could do was wait and see. Then, Mokuba's voice broke Yami's thoughts.

"I need my laptop," he said.

"What?" asked Yami.

"My laptop. It's in my brother's office."

"Why do you need it?"

"I want to see something."

Yami got up and went upstairs to Kaiba's office. He looked around and found Mokuba's laptop sitting on the floor, picked it up, and brought it back downstairs.

"Thanks," said Mokuba, taking his computer and turning it on.

"What are you doing?" asked Yami.

"Signing online."

"For what?"

"Mokuba, you finally got back online!" cried Noah's voice. "Are you okay?"

Yami looked at the screen and saw Noah's face!

"I'm all right," answered Mokuba.

"What's going on?" asked Yami.

"Noah, do you know what's been happening to me?" asked Mokuba.

Noah looked away from Mokuba.

"Noah?"

"Yes, Mokuba, I know what's been going on with you."

"How does he know?" asked Yami. "And how is he here on your computer screen?"

"How do you know?" asked Mokuba, ignoring the other male's questions.

"Natalie told me you wouldn't sell Kaiba Corp back to her..." he started.

"Back?" asked Mokuba. "What do you mean?"

"I thought the Kaibas had only owned Kaiba Corp," said Yami.

"They have," answered Noah.

"Who is she, Noah?" asked Mokuba.

"I'm not proud of who she is or what she does, but I don't have much time at the moment," said Noah.

"What do you mean?" asked Mokuba.

"Your 'brother' will be there any minute," Noah told them.

"How do you know that?" asked Yami.

"I can't talk any longer," said Noah. "I'll be back later."

"Wait!" cried Mokuba, but it was too late. Noah was gone.

"He knows all about this," said Yami.

"Noah..." said Mokuba.

Then, they heard glass shattering in the kitchen. They both jumped at the sound.

"I think...my big brother is here," said Mokuba.

Yami nodded.

"MOKUBA, WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU!" cried Kaiba's voice.

Mokuba slowly got up and walked to the kitchen. Yami could tell Mokuba was frightened. In fact, Yami was a bit frightened too. Yami got up and stood at the doorway and listened to Kaiba and Mokuba talking.

"Wh-what are you going to do?" asked Mokuba.

"Something I should've done when you were born," said Kaiba.

"Seto, don't!" cried Mokuba.

At that Yami ran to the kitchen to find Mokuba cowering in fear of his brother who had a knife in his hands. Kaiba saw Yami standing there and stopped his attack.

"Pharaoh," said Kaiba.

Yami stood his ground, not moving or speaking.

Kaiba dropped the knife and backed away in fear from Yami.

"Who are you?" asked Yami.

Kaiba still backed away until he was up against a counter.

"Please, don't harm me again, Pharaoh," he begged.

Mokuba was confused.

"Who sent you here?" asked Yami.

"I...I can't..." it stuttered.

"Tell me, and I will leave you alone."

"N-Natalie," it answered.

Mokuba gasped.

"Fine," said Yami. "Now leave."

Kaiba disappeared into thin air as if he were never there.

"I was right," said Yami. "That wasn't your brother."

"Who was it?" asked Mokuba.

"A shadow creature."

"What?"

"He said that someone named Natalie sent him," said Yami. "Do you suppose it was the same person who wanted to buy your company?"

"Y-yes," answered Mokuba.

"You must have made her extremely angry if she is sending a shadow creature to torture you," said Yami. "

"I wouldn't let her buy Kaiba Corp," said Mokuba. "That's the only reason I can think of for her to be mad at me."

"Noah seems to know things about this girl," said Yami. "We should ask him about her."

"Mmhmm."

Yami and Mokuba went back into the front room to see if Noah was back yet. Sure enough, he was on the computer screen, waiting for them to get back.

"Mokuba, you're back!" Noah said relieved.

"We want to know about Natalie," said Yami.

"I know you do, but there's something that she's going to do in half an hour that I need to tell you about first."

"Why do you keep stalling?" asked Yami.

"I'm not trying to stall!" cried Noah. "It's the timing of everything. She tells me everything and trusts me to keep it a secret because she doesn't think there's anyone else I can talk to about it."

"What is she going to do?"

"She's about to destroy Kaiba Land!"

"What!" cried Mokuba. "She can't do that!"

"She was expecting to get Kaiba Corp tomorrow because your 'brother' was supposed to kill you tonight! Someone has to stop her or else..."

Noah looked behind him as if someone was calling him, "I need to go. She needs to speak with me."

"Noah, don't go! I don't know what to do!"

"Evacuate everyone from Kaiba Land immediately!"

Then, Noah disappeared from the screen. Mokuba and Yami looked at each other and knew what had to be done. They had to do what Noah said. They were about to get up when Noah called back out to them.

"Scratch what I said about having a half hour!" he yelled. "She has bombs set to go off in three minutes!"

"What!" exclaimed Yami and Mokuba.

"Call someone who is working down there! Tell them to evacuate all the people before it's too late!"

"We will!" said Mokuba.

He reached for the phone on the table next to the couch and dialed a number.

"Roland? Are you at Kaiba Land? Good. Listen, you need to get yourself and everyone out of there right away!" cried Mokuba. "If you don't, you'll all die when the bombs explode!"


	7. Heating Up

**Chapter 7: Heating Up**

Roland started freaking out at Mokuba's words. He couldn't believe it. How could anyone have gotten bombs in there? Who was the better question though. He immediately radioed some of the other workers and told them the news and they started rushing people out. Mokuba, Yami, and Noah sat in fear, knowing they couldn't do anything. Noah suddenly looked behind him. She was calling again. He decided to just go and not tell them. They weren't paying attention to him anyways. As he disappeared from Mokuba's computer screen, he appeared on the home computer of someone else.

"Where do you keep running off to, Noah?" she asked.

"That's none of your business, Natalie," he answered her.

"Do you have a little girlfriend on the internet now?" she asked. "Or are you busy being like other boys and looking at internet porn?"

Noah glared at her.

"Or is your girlfriend on the internet porn you're looking at?"

"Will you shut up?" Noah snapped at her.

"Excuse me, but you're not the one who can call the shots here!" Natalie yelled back at Noah.

"Father abandoned you when I was born. He said that a girl couldn't run our company. Why are you trying to get it back?"

"To restore its good name! Games? The old Kaiba Corporation would never even let that word be uttered in or around it. Vehicles and weapons for war is what this world needs!"

"So that's all you're going to do?" asked Noah. "Re-build it to be what it once was?"

"I'll also prove to our father that I am just as capable of running our company as any man," she said. "In fact, I'll prove that I can run it better!"

Noah shook his head from side to side as she laughed.

"My plan is going perfectly," she smiled after awhile. "Mokuba is dead and soon Kaiba Land will be out of the picture..." she started.

"What will you do if your plan hasn't exactly worked out like you wanted?" asked Noah.

"What? Why wouldn't it?"

"I don't think it has!"

"I don't really give a damn what you think! You are so annoying. You know, you didn't have to live as long as you did, Noah. When you were born, I knew things would be different, and when you started taking my place, I was tempted to kill you!"

"What!" Noah gasped horrified. "Why would you even think of doing something like that to me? I'm your younger brother!"

"Well, that doesn't matter now," said Natalie. "You're dead too. You weren't capable of running our father's company, and you met your fate in the middle of the street."

"And I'll bet that you were rejoicing the whole time about it," Noah said darkly.

"No, nothing like that," Natalie answered. "Right after it happened I ran to my friend's house and we laughed about it. There was no rejoicing involved at all."

Noah was disgusted. He couldn't believe his own sister was against him since the day he was born! He looked through the screen at the twisted smile she wore on her face.

"You know, I could report all of this to the police," threatened Noah.

"You wouldn't do it," said Natalie.

"Why wouldn't I?"

"That's not like you," she laughed and turned off her computer screen. Noah still couldn't believe it, but now he had all the more reason to turn against her. He quickly returned to Mokuba's screen to see the horrified looks on Mokuba's and Yami's faces.

"What hap..." Noah stopped in mid-sentence. The bombs. How could he have forgotten!

"Roland won't answer me," Mokuba sobbed.

"Did everyone get out okay?" asked Noah.

"I don't think they did," answered Yami. "Roland was in the middle of speaking to Mokuba when the bombs exploded."

"All you can hear if a bunch of screaming!" Mokuba cried.

Yami started to comfort Mokuba. Noah watched sadly. He couldn't do anything to help out his friends. He felt horrible.

"We have to go to Kaiba Land," said Mokuba.

Noah looked up at the two of them on the couch. He wished he could go with them.

"You're right," said Yami. "You stay here while I get the limo."

Mokuba nodded and Yami got up and left. Noah and Mokuba sat there in silence, not sure of what to say to the other. Noah was about to speak when Mokuba broke the silence.

"I wish you could be here, Noah. I'd at least have a step-brother to take care of me, but I'm apparently not a lucky enough person to even remotely have a family."

"You do have family. I may not be out there with you, but at least I'm right here in the computer," answered Noah.

"Computers can't comfort you," said Mokuba.

"Not unless you're Seto," joked Noah.

Mokuba laughed at this, "I think that's kind of true."

Noah smiled. Then, Yami appeared in the doorway, "Ready."

"Okay," said Mokuba. "I'll see you in awhile, Noah."

"I'll be here."

Noah watched as Mokuba cautiously left the room along with Yami. Now what? There wasn't anything to do. He would rather have had them stay there so he'd have someone to talk to. He wanted to tell his friends about his sister. He knew what he should do though. He should do what he said and tell the police, but Natalie was right. He couldn't rat out his own sister. She would rat him out though. Natalie wouldn't even think twice about it. She was a horrible person, and Noah had known it for a long time so he didn't get too attached to her when he had a flesh and blood body. He sighed and decided to wait until Mokuba returned.

* * *

Mokuba and Yami arrived outside the remains of Kaiba Land. Police were everywhere, fire crews were wrestling down flames, rescue workers were trying to find any survivors that had been inside during the blast, and everyone standing outside the tape line was horrified at what had happened.

"No!" cried Mokuba. "My brother built this place! Why did she have to destroy that too?"

Yami hugged Mokuba tightly as the police chief walked up.

"Mokuba," he said.

Mokuba looked up at him. He seemed to be a bit intimidated by him at first but eased up.

"May I speak with you for a moment?"

Mokuba nodded and the chief led him to the other side of the car to talk with him. Yami just stood there looking at the remains of the building. He couldn't believe it. He looked on sadly at everything, knowing that lives had been lost in there today.

"Mokuba, did you know this was going to happen?" asked the chief.

"Well, it was too late before I found out," Mokuba answered. "I called Roland three minutes before the bombs exploded."

"How did you find out?"

Mokuba wasn't sure how to answer that question. He couldn't say it was his step-brother because he was dead. So what could he say?

"I...don't know," lied Mokuba. "I was on the internet when someone instant messaged me about it."

"How did they find out?"

"I didn't ask. I immediately called Roland so he could get some people out."

"Why would anyone destroy this place?" the chief asked himself.

"Oh my God!" cried someone. "What happened?"

Mokuba looked up and saw Natalie. She was dressed completely in black. She looked like the kind of person to sneak around the building and plant bombs all around. Especially in those clothes.

"Someone blew up Kaiba Land!" someone answered her.

She smirked slightly, "Who would do that?"

"You would!" cried Mokuba.

She turned and gasped when she saw Mokuba there.

"Mokuba, how...are you?" asked Natalie.

She couldn't believe it. Noah must have known that her plan hadn't fully succeeded. That's why he mentioned it. That brat! Why wouldn't he tell her that? Well, that meant the more fun for her. If her shadow creature couldn't do the job, then she'd just have to do it herself.

"What do you mean that she would?" the chief asked Mokuba.

"She wanted to buy my brother's company, but I refused to sell it to her," explained Mokuba. "It really made her mad at me."

"No, I never wanted Kaiba Corporation," lied Natalie. "I know that I wouldn't be able to run a company like that. I don't think you should judge people when you first see them, Mokuba."

"Miss, I'd like to search your home," said the chief.

"Why? I didn't do anything."

"Then you won't mind if I look around."

Yami looked over to the blue-haired girl. He remembered her from Kaiba's funeral, but who was she? He heard the officer say that he wanted to search her home. Could she be Natalie? She looked an awful lot like Noah. Could they really be related?

"Sure, you can search it if you really think you'll find anything," she said sweetly.

The chief started walking to his car. Natalie gave Mokuba one last sneer before she left.

"No one can help you," said Natalie. "You better watch it tonight."

Then, she turned and walked to the car and got in. Mokuba watched as they left, then returned back to Yami.

"That girl was Natalie," he told him.

"I thought so," said Yami.

"You have to stay with me tonight!" cried Mokuba.

"Why?"

"I think she's going to try and hurt me."

"Don't worry," said Yami. "I'll stay there with you."

"Thank you."

"Let's get back to the mansion. We have some things to talk to Noah about."

Mokuba nodded and they headed back to the Kaiba mansion.

The first thing they did when they got back was rush back to the computer.

"Noah," said Mokuba.

"Yes," he answered.

"Natalie is related to you, isn't she?" said Yami.

Noah nodded.

"Who is she?"

"Natalie is my older sister. She never loved me or even remotely cared for me. She was going to take over our father's company, but then I was born. Since our father now had a son, he started to replace her with me. I was then going to take over Kaiba Corp. She always looked at me like I was the lowest thing on the planet so I never trusted her. I never hung around her for very long, and the only way we communicated was through yelling. She told me that she laughed when I was hit by that car. I know that she never really cared for me, but it still hurts because she's my family."

"Wow," said Mokuba.

"Mmhmm," said Noah.

"So she is a Kaiba," said Yami. "That's why she wants Kaiba Corp back."

"Yes, and she's only doing it to prove to our father that she is just as capable of running it," he told them.

"I think she's going to come and kill me tonight," whimpered Mokuba.

"What!" cried Noah.

"She told me that I'd better watch it tonight."

"I wouldn't put it past her to try it."

"How can we stop her?" asked Yami.

"I don't know," said Noah. "Once she is set on something, she is determined to finish it at any cost."

"Won't the security system be able to keep her out?" asked Yami.

"You could try, but she's calling me again. I have to go."

"No, you can't!" cried Mokuba.

"I'll be back. Don't worry."

He disappeared and once again was face to face with Natalie.

"You knew he wasn't dead!" she yelled.

"Yes, I did."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"You didn't ask."

"I don't believe you!" she cried, then she was struck with a thought. "You've been going over to his computer haven't you!"

"What?"

"That's where you are all the time! You're going behind my back! I can't believe you!"

"I can't believe you either. How can you be so heartless? Seto had more of a heart than you!"

"Are you comparing me to that worthless rat?"

"Maybe I am."

"If you don't want to have your circuits fried, I'd suggest you not do it again."

"Natalie, what are you plotting?"

"Why would I tell you? You'd just run over to Mokuba and tell him all about it! Do you think I'm that stupid!"

"I never said it, but you're pretty smart for figuring it out yourself!"

"You know what? Go ahead and tell him that he'll soon be joining the rest of his family. Tell him that no one will be able to help him because they'll die too. Go on, Noah, tell your little friend everything!"

"You'll never get away with this."

"Oh really? I'll succeed in killing Mokuba and then I'll finally gain control of my company. No one will be able to stop me."

"Natalie, I'll find one."

"You may be a tiny bit clever, but you'll never beat me at anything."

Noah and Natalie glared at each other for a minute before she got up and left. Noah went back to Mokuba's computer. He needed to find a way to help them. He started thinking and eventually remembered something he'd created! He'd be able to use it to get out of there! Finally, he didn't have to just sit around and wait. He'd beat his sister, and she would even suspect it!


	8. The Book of Shadows

**Chapter 8: The Book of Shadows**

Noah kept appearing, disappearing, and reappearing on the laptop's screen. Mokuba hadn't been paying much attention though. He was too preoccupied about what might happen that night, but Yami was watching Noah intently. Eventually, Noah spoke.

"Guys, I have something to tell you!" cried Noah happily.

"What?" asked Yami.

"I can get into your world!"

"What!" cried Mokuba and Yami.

"I created something in my spare time a month ago! It enables me to fuse myself to the life force of a human! That means I'll stay alive as long as that person stays alive. I can't age though, but it's perfect!"

Mokuba and Yami weren't sure if what they heard was true or not. Could there really be something that would fuse him to someone's life force? It sounded like something out of a movie, but somehow they both knew that Noah was telling the truth. Why wouldn't he be? He wouldn't have brought it up if he hadn't actually figured out something.

"You're serious?" asked Yami.

"Mmhmm," said Noah. "Also, I can fight against my sister! I could actually help you!"

Mokuba and Yami looked at each other.

"I'm...guessing you'd fuse with me," said Mokuba.

"If you want me to," said Noah.

"Should I?" Mokuba asked Yami.

He wasn't sure about this. He knew they could trust Noah, but something told him it wasn't a very good idea. What was he going to do?

_"I think we should give it a shot,"_ said Yugi.

Yami was startled by the sound of Yugi's voice, "What?"

_"You heard me."_

"Are you sure, Yugi?"

_"I'm positive."_

"What makes you so sure?"

_"Trust me. I know this is a good idea."_

Yami nodded.

"Mokuba, I believe you should," Yami told him.

"Really?" smiled Mokuba.

"Yes."

Mokuba turned and faced his computer, "What do I need to do?"

Noah placed his hand on the screen, "Do what I'm doing."

Mokuba did as he was instructed, "Now what?"

"Just wait a moment," said Noah. "Trust me."

Suddenly, blinding streams of blue light were being emitted from the screen, filling up the entire room! Yami shielded his eyes from it all. Mokuba used his free hand to cover his eyes. Winds were blowing all around as though they were outside during a tornado. Mokuba felt like his body was spinning out of control. It was completely intense, and he didn't know how much more he could take!

"Don't take your hand off the screen!" cried Noah through all the turmoil. "It won't be much longer!'

Mokuba was trying his hardest, but still felt as though he was spinning rapidly. He wanted it all to end! He was about to take his hand away from the computer when it all stopped. He looked around the room. Everything was in order as if nothing had even happened! Yami had unshielded his eyes by now, and Mokuba took his hand away from the screen.

"Well, did it work?" asked Yami.

Mokuba was about to say something when Noah appeared right beside him.

"Of course it did," Noah smiled.

Mokuba gasped.

"You have an actual body out here?" asked Yami.

"Sort of," said Noah. "I reside within Mokuba's mind. I can come out anytime I desire, and I will almost always be my full size. Also, I will be able to talk to him while I'm inside his mind."

"So technically when you're outside his mind you do have your own body," said Yami.

"You can put it that way," said Noah.

"This is so cool!" smiled Mokuba.

"Finally, I can somewhat rejoin civilization."

"Noah, I think we should start preparing for tonight," said Yami.

"Yes," he agreed. "We need to devise a plan."

"When is she coming?" asked Mokuba.

"She could be on her way here right now if she wants to be!" exclaimed Noah. "But we need a plan of action before she arrives."

"We should turn on the security system," said Yami.

"I'll go set it," said Mokuba.

As Mokuba left, Noah looked to be deep in thought.

"Think of anything yet?" asked Yami.

"She needs to think that Mokuba is here alone," said Noah."You'll have to be hiding somewhere, and she'll apparently think I'm in the computer world."

"Then we'll jump out and surprise her?" asked Yami.

"Yeah," said Noah. "First, you'll reveal yourself. Then, I'll reveal myself."

"You'll be in Mokuba's mind at the time?" asked Yami.

"Mmhmm."

"When should I appear?"

Just then, Mokuba walked back in.

"I just thought of something," smirked Noah. "Both of you come here."

They all huddled together and went over what they were going to do when Natalie showed up. Eventually, they were all set. They all hung out in the family room for awhile. Noah kept watch for his older sister to come. Then, the power went out.

"She's here," announced Noah.

Everyone nodded and took their places. Noah entered Mokuba's mind, Yami left the room, and Mokuba stayed there. He hugged a pillow tightly to show he was afraid. That was a part of the plan, but it was also a bit true. Next, there was scratching on the sliding glass doors in the family room!

"Mokuba," Natalie said sweetly. "I know you're in there. Why don't you let me in? I need to talk to you."

Mokuba remained silent as the scratching went on.

"If you're not going to let me in willingly, I guess I'll just have to get in on my own," she said.

Mokuba heard the rustling outside as she walked away. He wasn't sure of what she was about to do, but he was prepared for her to break in, which is exactly what she did. The next thing that happened was she threw a rock through the window, shattering it to small pieces. Mokuba jumped. Next, she stepped through the mess, and stood there.

"Hello Mokuba," she said.

Mokuba didn't say anything. Really he couldn't even speak at the moment.

_"Relax,"_ Noah told Mokuba.

"I thought we could play a little game," Natalie said. She turned around and picked up a black leather bag from outside and set it down next to her. "Would you like to come take a look at what's in here?"

Mokuba shook his head slowly from side to side.

"If you won't come look, then I'll just show you," she said.

Natalie opened up the bag, "There are only two things in here. My trusty knife, and a very rare and special artifact."

She took out her knife and traced her fingers around the blade. Mokuba watched quietly. Then, she set it down in front of her and looked up at the young Kaiba.

"Don't worry. I won't use it on you yet."

She was about to speak about the artifact she'd brought when Yami appeared at the doorway.

"Mokuba, I..." he started, stopping because he found Natalie. "Mokuba, I didn't know anyone was coming."

Mokuba kept his eyes on Natalie, afraid that when he looked away she'd strike. Natalie stood up and smiled sweetly, "Hello."

Yami walked inside the room and stood next to the couch.

"I didn't know Mokuba had anyone over," she said.

"I thought you knew about everything," said Yami.

Natalie looked offended at his statement, but said nothing.

"What do you need?" Yami asked her.

"What makes you assume I want something?" she asked.

"I don't know."

"Okay, I'll tell you what I'm here for," Natalie said. "I came to kill my little step-brother, but you're here. That means I'll have to kill you too. I'll also kill you first so Mokuba can watch helplessly."

"How do you plan to do that?" asked Yami.

"With my trusty knife," she answered. "Also, I'll use this."

She pulled out a black-leather book. It had gold lettering and was bound with string. Yami recognized it instantly. He had felt something ancient and the thing he sensed was the book she held in her hands.

"What is it?" asked Mokuba.

"I'm glad you asked," smiled Natalie. "This is the Egyptian Book of Shadows."

"That's how you were able to call upon a shadow creature to come and torture Mokuba with his fears," cried Yami.

"You are correct."

"How did you obtain that book?"

"I went to Egypt one year with my mother. While I was there, I was looking for many rare items the Egyptians used for torture. When I learned about the Book of Shadows, I knew I could use it one day for something. I've used it many times on some of my other enemies. I used one of the spells in here to haunt my father with disturbing dreams of his death. Many of them were of my brother killing him. But that was after Noah had died. So it didn't pose much of a threat to him, but it was still fun."

"That book was created by Anubis," said Yami. "He created it to torture his victims before they died, and to torture his enemies. He would sometimes give it to tomb robbers and other evil people so they could perform many horrible acts. That book was sentenced to be destroyed, but it had disappeared mysteriously the next day."

"You know your Egyptian history well," smiled Natalie.

"I should," said Yami.

"I found this book in the ruins of the Egyptian palace where the High Priest would reside," she said. "He was going to use it on the Pharaoh, but never had the chance."

Yami remained silent.

"How could you use that on anyone?" asked Mokuba.

"It's fun to torture others," she laughed.

"You're a horrible person," said Noah, emerging from within Mokuba's mind and sitting next to him on the couch. "Even more horrible than when I was alive!"

Natalie looked horrified, "H-how did...how are...what's going on?"

"Surprise," said Noah.

"You can't be here!" exclaimed Natalie. "You're dead! The only way you exist here is in the computer."

"Not anymore," said Noah. "I created a way to exit that world. I can finally serve a purpose and help protect my family."

"You'll fail," she smiled. "Nothing can stand in the way of the Book of Shadows."

"Except for a certain Millennium Item," said Yami.

Natalie looked over at him with and annoyed expression on her face, "Your knowledge of all of this is getting extremely aggravating."

Yami smiled at her. She then returned her attention back to her younger brother.

"Are you ready for this?" asked Natalie.

"Bring it on," smirked Noah.

Natalie picked up her knife from the floor and aimed to throw it. Noah was trying to predict who she'd throw it at, and he had a very good guess. She would probably aim for Mokuba, but what if she knew he'd think that? Then who would she be throwing it at? Suddenly, Natalie let go of the knife. It sped quickly across the room into Noah's heart! Noah winced in pain and grabbed a hold of the knife.

"Noah!" cried Mokuba.

"Are you all right?" asked Yami.

"I...I'll be fine," he choked out.

Natalie watched with wide eyes as Noah pulled the blade out.

"You should be dead," said Natalie.

"You can't kill me," said Noah. "I'm already dead."

"Fine," she said. "But I can apparently still hurt you. Once I get you out of my way, I can move onto Mokuba."

Mokuba cowered behind Noah. She laughed at his cowardice. Soon she would rid the world of Mokuba, and she'd gain control of Kaiba Corp. She was determined that her plan would succeed. Her plans always did and now would be no different. Soon everything would be how it was supposed to be.


	9. Submission

**Chapter 9: Submission**

"Come on, Noah," said Natalie. "Get up and fight me."

Noah looked up at her, pain etched into his face. Natalie looked at him with the same cold expression she always had. Noah remembered all the times he could have used an older sibling to help guide him, and remembered that that was the look she'd always given him. Finally, Noah stood up slowly. Yami and Mokuba watched Noah cautiously make his way over to his sister. Neither of them knew what to do, but they did know that for right now this fight was between them. Noah had hate in his eyes, something Natalie had seen many times. This time it was different though. This time the hate was stronger. Finally, Noah was directly in front of her.

"Being the kind of person I am," started Natalie, "I'll let you hit me first."

Noah kept looking at her with the same cold look in his eyes. After a few minutes, he finally swung at her, hitting her in the jaw. Mokuba and Yami smiled at Noah's action. Natalie stood her ground, surprised at how strong the hit was. Then, Natalie curled her hands into fists, and punched Noah in the chest, sending him flying into a wall. Yami and Mokuba both gasped at this.

"That...that's not...human," said Mokuba.

"She has that power from the Book of Shadows," said Yami. "This fight will be tougher than I thought."

"We can still beat her can't we?" asked Mokuba.

"I'm not so sure. I didn't know she discovered those powers. In the very back of the book, there is an ancient text, but it's hard to make out. If you can recite it, you'll gain extraordinary powers. She apparently discovered them."

"What...was that?" choked out Noah, trying to get back up.

"Surprise," she said.

"I'll...I'll still defeat you."

"I highly doubt that."

"What are we going to do?" Mokuba asked Yami.

"The only thing we can do right now is wait," he answered.

"But we have to help Noah!"

Yami remained silent. He was trying to remember how to defeat a person with the power of the Book of Shadows. He remembered that he'd read it before in Ancient Egypt, but he couldn't remember it very well. He hadn't come across anyone who was able to recite the chant before! He had to remember how to beat it!

"I promise that you won't lay another finger on me," said Natalie.

"I'll be the one to break that promise," Noah snapped back at her.

"I doubt that."

Noah ran towards her ready to take her down. Right when he was about to tackle her she jumped over him, and Noah went tumbling to the floor.

"You'll have to try harder than that," said Natalie.

Noah got right back up. His eyes locked onto hers. Both of them showed an equal amount of hate for each other.

"My turn," she said.

She held her hand out in front of her in Noah's direction and closed it like she had just grabbed something. Noah instantly felt as though something had a hold of him. Natalie smirked at him. Then, she slowly moved her hand up, and Noah began floating up towards the ceiling.

"W-what are you doing?" asked Noah.

Natalie smirked again and made a throwing motion with that hand. Instantly, Noah went flying towards the wall. He smacked into it crying out in pain and fell with a thud to the floor. Mokuba was horrified by now. He needed to do something whether Noah wanted his help or not, but what could he do against Natalie?

Natalie laughed at Noah's pain. This was definitely a way to prove she was more powerful than any human being. Actually, she could probably rule the world with these powers. Why only rule over Kaiba Corp if she could rule the entire world! Why didn't she think of that before now? Well, all her best ideas did come to her while she was torturing others. Then, another idea hit her. She looked to Mokuba and smirked at him.

"Mokuba," she said sweetly.

"Mokuba, don't listen to her!" cried Noah. "Never answer her when she addresses you like that!"

"SHUT IT!" she yelled. Instantly, Noah couldn't speak!

"Mokuba, I have a different use for you. I don't need to kill you if you agree to it," she said.

Mokuba didn't know what to think. She was here to try and kill him and now she said she wasn't. He knew he couldn't trust her. That's all he knew. Yami glared at her. He was prepared to protect Mokuba if he had to.

"You could be my little slave," she said. "If you do everything I say and want, I'll let you live."

"Mokuba would never stoop to that!" said Yami.

"I don't think that was for you to answer!" Natalie snapped at him. Suddenly, Yami found himself motionless and floating in the air!

"Now what's your answer, Mokuba?"

Mokuba looked over to Noah who was mouthing that he shouldn't. Then, he looked up at his friend.

"The more time you waste, the more I will crush them," said Natalie.

Then, Noah and Yami looked like they were getting squeezed by an invisible force! They both cried out in pain. Mokuba couldn't take it anymore. He had to stop this. He didn't want them to get hurt!

"Fine," said Mokuba. "You win."

Natalie smiled, loosening her grip on Noah and Yami. Noah fell onto his back onto the ground as did Yami. Noah quickly stood up and looked horrified at Mokuba. Yami got up and looked at Mokuba also. Natalie smiled, looking at all three of their faces. They all had pain, worry, and sadness etched into them, especially Mokuba's.

"Okay then," said Natalie. "Come here, Mokuba."

"Mokuba, please re-think this!" cried Noah. "Don't throw your life away just for our safety!"

"Noah is right," agreed Yami. "Tonight was about protecting you!"

"I don't want you guys to get hurt because of me," said Mokuba.

"Don't worry," said Natalie. "I'll take good care of him."

"I won't let you take him!" cried Noah.

"You've had a taste of what I can do. I don't think you'll be able to stop me from doing anything!"

Natalie grabbed a hold of Mokuba. She snapped her fingers and her book and knife went back into her bag. Then she snapped her fingers and they were gone. Noah and Yami couldn't believe it. What were they going to do now? They failed. Mokuba may still be alive, but they knew they failed.

"Natalie is more powerful than I thought," Noah said sadly.

"I know there is a way to beat her, but I can't remember it," said Yami.

"What can we do now?"

"We have to get Mokuba back."

"I know that, but what can we do?"

"I think we should go back to the game shop for now. Then, in the morning we'll call Téa, Joey, and Tristan and they can help us figure out a way to get Mokuba back."

"It's not going to matter how many people are there to help us figure a way out! You saw. She has these creepy magical powers! How are we going to stand up to them?"

"If I can remember, we can defeat her," said Yami calmly.

"Right now that seems impossible," said Noah.

"Right now it does, but later it may be looking different."

Noah nodded. Next, they headed out the door back to the game shop.

The next morning when Joey, Téa, and Tristan arrived, Yami had to explain how Noah was there too. After awhile they nodded. Yami wasn't sure they truly understood what he said, but he did know that they understood that Mokuba was in need of their help.

"Where is Natalie?" asked Joey.

"She's probably regaining control of Kaiba Corp right now," answered Noah.

"Or harming Mokuba," said Yami.

"Is this going to be a fight like when we fought Anubis?" asked Tristan. "That really wasn't fun."

"It will be tougher," said Yami.

"Would there be a way of looking up the information we need?" asked Téa.

"Perhaps, but I wouldn't know where to start," said Yami.

"The internet may tell us something," suggested Noah.

"Maybe," said Yami. "But the internet is not always truthful."

"But if I find the right thing wouldn't you know it?"

"I suppose..."

"Then we have nothing to lose by trying this out!" cried Noah.

They all agreed and huddled around Yugi's computer. Noah was busy at work going through search engines about the Book of Shadows. The same thing always came up. It said where it was from, who created it, and what it was for, but it didn't say anything about the powers it can give to a person. This wasn't getting them anywhere! Suddenly, the power went out.

"What's going on?" asked Tristan. "Did we blow a fuse or something?"

"Oh no," said Noah. He got up and raced outside. There wasn't any electricity anywhere! "I think this is my sister's doing."

"I don't doubt that," agreed Yami.

"How can you tell that from a simple little power outage?" asked Joey.

"Yeah, there could have been a crash somewhere," said Téa. "Not that I'm hoping for that, but you can't just say it's your sister's fault."

"Yes I can," said Noah, staring at something.

"Why?" asked Tristan.

Noah pointed in the direction of Kaiba Corp. Everyone looked to the towering company and saw that it was the only place with power!

"How is that possible right now?" asked Joey.

"My sister did this," Noah said. "I have to go there!"

"We can't yet!" cried Yami.

"I have to help Mokuba!"

"I understand that, but we need to find out how to defeat Natalie!"

Noah knew that he was right. They did need a plan of action before they did anything. This time they hopefully wouldn't fail.

"Yugi, is Ishizu still here?" asked Téa.

"I don't know," he answered.

"Wouldn't she know how to defeat her?"

"Probably."

"Let's go check."

Noah instantly started running towards the Domino Museum. Everyone quickly followed him down the darkened streets. It was a bit creepy. It was like running through a ghost town. There was no one out on the streets except for them, not even little kids playing! They all felt a bit out of place, but kept on going. They needed the answer to their question and they needed it badly! Otherwise, everyone in the entire world was going to suffer under Natalie's rule. Especially poor Mokuba. They were determined to get it, and quickly form their plan, and that's exactly what they were going to do.


	10. The Book of Light

**Chapter 10: The Book of Light**

Natalie sat up in Kaiba's old office, staring out the windows down the street. Her powers gave her super sharp sight so she watched as her brother and his worthless friends ran down the street.

_'Just let them try,'_ Natalie thought to herself. _'They will never get Mokuba back. At least, they won't get him back alive.'_

Then, Mokuba arrived. He walked timidly into the office up to the desk.

"Natalie," his voice quivered.

"What," she said.

"You called me up here. What do you need?"

Natalie turned the chair around and faced him, "I need all the workers here at once."

"But they aren't even here today!"

"GET THEM HERE!"

Natalie took out a black leather whip and struck Mokuba in the face with it. He knelt down to the floor in pain, covering his left cheek as silent tears streamed down his face.

"Go," she ordered.

Mokuba stayed on the ground for a moment, then slowly got up. Natalie, infuriated that he hadn't gotten up right away, snapped the whip in front of his feet. He jumped out of the way, and ran out the door to the secretary's desk and began calling the employees of Kaiba Corp. Natalie smiled as she turned her attention back to the window. She was in total control and loving it. She didn't see why she didn't just barge in and take Kaiba Corp back years ago! She sat there thinking about how much she would have loved to kill Seto herself, but thought it didn't matter how he got out of the picture just as long as he was. She leaned back and watched as the small group of people turned onto another street.

_'Huh?'_ she thought_. 'Where are they going? I thought that they'd be coming here. Oh well. I guess it doesn't matter. They'll be here eventually.'_

Down in the streets, Noah and the gang kept running as fast as they could. Eventually, they made it! They were all standing outside the Domino Museum! Noah didn't waste any time. He immediately ran inside, leaving the rest of the gang outside to catch their breath for a moment.

"Geez...he...just...won't...quit," panted Joey.

"He's...determined...to help...Mokuba...any way...he...can," said Tristan.

"Yes," agreed Yami.

"C'mon!" cried Noah impatiently from the entrance.

"We're...coming," Téa called back.

"Hurry up!"

"Why...isn't...he tired?" asked Joey.

"It may...have...something to do...with only...being fused with...Mokuba's...life...force," said Yami.

"Whatever," said Tristan. "I guess...we'd better...be going in now."

They all agreed and headed inside.

"Where would she be?" asked Noah.

Yami starting walking towards the basement doors.

"Where are you going?" asked Noah.

"Trust me," said Yami.

They all followed him down to the basement of the museum where the Pharaoh's tablets resided.

"Are we supposed to goin' down here?" asked Joey.

Yami remained silent. As soon as they reached the bottom, they were greeted by a tall, tanned, Egyptian woman.

"I sensed you would be coming back," said Ishizu.

"We have some questions about the Book of Shadows," said Yami.

"You should have paid more attention to your studies," she said.

"So should I, but what does it have to do with anything?" asked Joey.

"Joey!" Téa exclaimed. "She means that he should have paid more attention so he would know how to defeat Natalie!"

"That...that sounds about right," stuttered Joey.

"Some of my memories of the past have faded. Even if I did pay attention to that lesson I may have forgotten it now," pointed out Yami.

"Very true," agreed Ishizu.

"Please, you must tell us," begged Noah. "I need to help my step-brother! Who knows what my sister is putting him through!"

"I understand what it feels like to want to help a loved one. I will help you."

"Cool," said Tristan. "Then we can barge in there and kick Natalie's butt!"

"It still won't be that simple," said Ishizu.

"Why wouldn't it?"

"There are a few steps to defeating someone with her power."

"Well, what are they?" asked Joey.

"In order for you to defeat her you must have powers like hers."

"What!" exclaimed Joey. "How are we supposed to do that?"

"Yeah, are we supposed to swipe the Book of Shadows from her and read that inscription thing too?" asked Tristan.

"Not quite," said Ishizu. "To obtain the powers you need, you will have to obtain the Book of Light."

"Book of Light?" repeated Téa.

"There's another book?" asked Joey.

"No one has been able to find it because of one pharaoh," explained Ishizu.

"Let me guess," said Tristan. "It was Yami."

"No," she answered.

"That's who it is all the other times!" cried Joey.

"This time it was his father."

"Your father hid the book we need!" Joey exclaimed.

"I guess so," said Yami.

"Why do you seem so clueless about it?"

"He didn't know about this book," said Ishizu. "His grandfather created this artifact to counteract the one Anubis made."

"Smart choice," said Joey.

"It was passed down to his son who in turn would have given it to you, Yami, but that wasn't what happened."

"Why did he hide it?" asked Téa.

"Anubis wanted to destroy it because it was the only thing that could defeat his book's evil powers. Anubis had threatened to kill his family once the Book of Light was destroyed so there would be nothing to stand in his way. So Yami's father hid it to protect his family. No one knows where it is to this very day, and very few people have heard of it."

"How do you know about it then?" asked Joey.

"My family served the Pharaoh's family back then too. We knew about the Book of Light, but he would not tell us under any circumstances where he had hidden it. He said that he wanted to be the only person to know where it was because when he died or if he were killed Anubis would have no one to confront to tell him its secret location. Yami's father was very brave. He said if Anubis would come and confront him that he would rather die than tell him."

"But if no one else knew where it was wouldn't Anubis just use the Book of Shadows without fear of being stopped?" asked Téa.

"Yeah," agreed Joey.

"Anubis always feared the Book of Light. He finally did start confronting people about where it was, but they obviously couldn't tell him anything."

"Are you saying that we have to find the Book of Light?" asked Tristan. "How can we do that before Natalie does...whatever she's gonna do?"

"Only one Millennium Item reacts when it is near it."

"Which one?" asked Téa.

"I believe you already know the answer to that question."

"My Millennium Puzzle," said Yami.

"But we have to go to Egypt to find it?" asked Tristan.

"Yes," said Ishizu.

"What if we don't find it in time?" asked Joey.

"Finding it is all that matters."

"So I guess we're goin' to Egypt," said Joey.

"I can't go," said Noah.

"Why?" asked Téa.

"I can't travel that far without Mokuba," he explained. "I'll get too weak."

"That's not good," said Joey.

"But it could be a good thing that one of us stays behind. I could call and tell you what my sister is up to."

"That works too," said Tristan.

"Ishizu, do you know the soonest we can leave?" asked Yami.

"You will be able to later today," she answered. "You must all pack and get ready. I'll tell my brother that you are coming. He and Odion can help you in your quest."

"Thank you."

They all nodded and said their good-byes to Ishizu and left the museum. After they were outside, they went their separate ways to get ready for their trip to Egypt. When everyone was ready, they all headed back to the game shop.

"Are you ready to go, Yuge?" asked Joey.

"Yes," said Yami.

"Did she say what time?" asked Téa.

"She said to be at the airport at four," said Yami.

"When did she say that?" asked Joey.

"She called here," answered Noah.

"Oh."

"It's only two," whined Tristan. "This sucks. Now we have to wait!"

"Calm down, Tristan," said Téa.

Suddenly, the electricity came back on. They were quite surprised by it.

"Actually, I forgot that it was off in the first place," said Joey truthfully.

"That's because you're a dunce!" cried Tristan playfully.

"You tryin' to start something?" Joey yelled at him.

"What is Natalie up to?" Noah wondered aloud.

"I wish I knew," said Yami.

"Noah, while we're gone, please don't try and save Mokuba yourself," begged Téa.

"What makes you think I'd even try?"

"Noah, she's right," agreed Yami.

"I won't," said Noah.

"Well, what should we do until we have to leave?" asked Tristan.

"We could play a couple rounds of duel monsters," suggested Joey.

"Yeah, that'll be fun for you and Yugi," said Tristan.

"Shut up!" cried Joey.

After an hour of Joey and Tristan's arguing, they finally left for the airport. Yugi's grandpa drove them there. Half an hour later they were standing outside the airport.

"Be careful, kids," said Solomon.

"We will, don't worry about us," smiled Yugi.

"Okay, I'll see you all when you get back," said Solomon.

"Bye, Grandpa," said Yugi, hugging his grandfather before he left.

Next, they all said their good-byes, and walked inside. Yugi watched as Noah and his grandfather left.

"Hey Yuge, are you coming?" asked Joey.

"Yeah," said Yugi.

Then, he caught up with his friends and they walked over and sat down in some chairs and waited.


	11. Blame

**Chapter 11: Blame**

Joey, Téa, Tristan, and Yugi sat in the terminal, waiting to leave. They were all lost in their own thoughts about what was currently happening. None of them could believe this. Here they were, four high school students, about to go to Egypt and find some ancient artifact that no one had any idea of where it may be! Talk about pressure. They had to find this thing, use its powers, and save Mokuba. Hadn't he been through enough already with his brother's death? Poor Mokuba. He didn't deserve any of this. Suddenly, Joey broke them all from their thoughts.

"Dude, I just thought of something!" he cried. "We don't have any tickets!"

"Joey's right," gasped Téa. "How are we going to get to Egypt without a ticket to get onto the plane?"

"Just calm down, guys," said Yugi. "I'll see what I can do."

Yugi was about to get up when a tall man in a clean and crisp suit walked up to them.

"Can we help you?" asked Joey.

"Come with me," he said in a monotonous voice.

The four friends looked at each other, and agreed to go with him. They followed quietly behind him as he led them to a private jet.

"Whoa, is dat the one we're ridin' in?" asked Joey.

"Yes," the man answered. "Ishizu told us about you. She said that you needed to get to Egypt to find the Book of Light. I hope you are very successful."

"Thank you," said Yugi.

"It is time to leave. Let's go."

The gang followed the man to their jet. Once they were all situated inside, the jet took off and they were on their way.

* * *

Back at Kaiba Corp, Mokuba finally walked back into the office.

"I called all the employees. They're on their way."

"Good," answered Natalie.

"What are you planning to do?"

"Why would I tell you that? Do you think I would really trust you with that sort of information?"

Mokuba shook his head, trying not to show his fear.

"You are correct," she smirked.

"What should I do?"

"You should jump off the top of the building and die, but I'm not finished with you yet."

"Natalie..."

Instantly, she whipped out the whip and struck him in the side. She smiled as he cried out in pain.

I told you that you aren't allowed to address me by my first name."

"I...I'm sorry," he choked out.

"Awww, are you going to cry?"

Mokuba didn't answer her. After a few more moments she struck him on the other side.

"I believe I asked you a question. If I ask you something, it requires an answer!"

"I...I might," he squeaked.

"I'll bet I know what you want right about now," she said.

Mokuba looked up at her, pain etched deeply into his features.

"You want your big brother to come and save you," she said.

Mokuba looked away, the feeling of tears stinging at his eyes even more.

"But he isn't going to come this time, is he? Is he?"

"N-no."

"That's right. Seto can't come to your rescue anymore. If I were him, I'd be happy to be dead. I wouldn't have to save your sorry ass every time danger arose. But that's just me. Maybe your pathetic and useless brother liked saving you."

Tears started to fall from Mokuba eyes at her words.

"Awww, do you not like me talking that way about your brother? Well, I'm going to tell you the truth about him. He was a sorry excuse of a person. He had no real reason to live. He would have been a fool to have ever actually cared about someone like you, and should have died long before any of this happened."

"No," said Mokuba quietly.

"Everyone else in the world has forgotten all about Seto Kaiba. No one cares that he's gone. What's taking you so long to realize he was a heartless, power-hungry, soulless, emotionless, workaholic? He didn't have time in his busy schedule to even remotely care about you or any other living thing!"

"Stop!" cried Mokuba. "You don't know my big brother! He loved me!"

"He put up with you because you were the next heir to Kaiba Corporation."

"I didn't want it, and he said that was fine!"

"And who would have taken over this company after him then?"

"I..I don't know..."

"Did you think he would have actually gone out and gotten himself a wife and have a kid? He would have forced you into it when you were old enough! He isn't the type of person to just go out and fall in love!"

"Seto could have been when he got older! You can't say those things about him!"

"I can say whatever I want about him. Everyone else thinks the same. I could ask anyone and they would agree with me, and you know it. You know that they're telling the truth. Why don't you just accept it?"

"Because they don't know Seto. They only judge him by the way he acts towards the public. They would say differently if they ever got to know him."

"And why would they want to get to know someone like him? If they did judge him by the way he acted toward the public, then wouldn't that keep people away?"

"Yeah, but..."

"But nothing. Your brother wanted to keep people away. That was how he wanted his life to be. He wanted to be a lonely and bitter person."

"He wasn't lonely or bitter."

"Oh. You think that because you were there he wasn't lonely? Well, that doesn't mean anything. Maybe you weren't lonely, but do you have any idea of the things your brother felt? Did he ever tell you?"

"No."

"Exactly. You can't tell yourself that he felt a certain way to make yourself feel better. That's not how it works. You know the truth. He didn't love you. He loved his work."

"Y...you're lying," cried Mokuba.

"If he really loved you, why did he barely spend any time with you? If he truly cared about his little brother, he would have been there instead of drowning himself in his precious work."

Mokuba thought about her words. He wasn't sure what to believe anymore. Is what she saying really true? There was the chance that it was, but what if it wasn't? Mokuba knew it wasn't true. Seto did love him. He knew he did. But he felt like she brought up a good point. If Seto did care about him, why did he work so much that they barely saw each other? The tears started flowing down his face again. Could Mokuba have been alone before his brother died? Were all his happy memories lies? Were all the promises that his brother made? No. Mokuba and Seto's lives hadn't been perfect, but they were always there for each other. Didn't that mean that they loved each other? What if Seto had been just using him? It made him hurt even more thinking that his brother never really cared about him.

"What do you think about him now, Mokuba?" asked Natalie.

Mokuba kept on crying.

"I asked you a question!"

"I don't know!"

"I need a straightforward answer."

"I don't have one!"

"Everyone has their answer to what they think! Tell me yours!"

"I don't know right now!"

"Yes, you do. Look inside your heart and find the answer!"

"I can't!"

"Yes, you can. It doesn't matter what you think about him now, Mokuba. He's dead. Do you think he cared about you?"

"N-no," answered Mokuba. What! What was he saying?

"Really? That's very interesting. What else? Do you really think you made him happy?"

"No," Mokuba sobbed. Why was he saying this? He felt horrible.

"If you knew he was going to turn out the way he did, would you have wanted to go with him when Gozaburo adopted you?"

"Prob...probably not," he squeaked. No! Why couldn't he stop himself from saying these things?

"Do you still love him?"

Mokuba hesitated before answering her. What was he going to say now? Of course he still loved Seto! Nothing would ever change that! He looked up at her with his teary eyes, and gently shook his head.

"I didn't think so," she said. "Now get out of my sight."

Mokuba slowly walked out of the office and closed the door behind him. Next, he ran down the hall to one of the lounge areas and collapsed onto the nearest couch and cried. He couldn't believe he'd said those things! Did he really think that? Or did Natalie do this? What if it was the way he really felt! Mokuba wished that his brother were there. He wished he'd never died. Seto didn't deserve it! At least he didn't in Mokuba's eyes. At least, that's what Mokuba hoped. He wanted Seto to hug him tightly and to tell him it was all right. He wanted this all to be a horrible nightmare that just wouldn't end. He wanted to wake up and run to Seto for comfort, but knew he couldn't. Did anyone even care about him now? Wait! His friends! Where were they? Why hadn't they come for him by now? Oh well. If his only family had left him, why not his friends too?

Mokuba put more blame on himself. Hey, he felt bad why not make it worse? He felt like he could never be happy again. He wished he'd died instead of Seto. But what would Seto have done if it had been him? Mokuba wondered about it. He wondered if Seto would have just continued working like nothing had even happened. Or maybe Seto would have cared. Could it be possible that he may have even cried? At the moment, Mokuba wasn't so sure. Actually, he may not have been so sure even if he hadn't started to doubt their relationship. He had never seen his older brother cry. Seto wasn't the type of person to cry. He didn't even cry at their father's funeral! Seto was a stronger person though. More tears flowed down his cheeks. Maybe he should try to get over his death. Crying and wishing weren't going to bring him back.

"Mokuba!" Natalie cried from down the hall.

He sat up. He didn't want to go back there. She would probably do something to harm him or make him feel worse. There was no doubt about it. Mokuba slowly got up and made his way down the hall. Then, he braced himself for what may happen next.


	12. The Search is On

**Chapter 12: The Search is On**

Finally, the gang arrived in Egypt. The flight was pretty boring. Except for when Joey and Tristan were arguing over who would eat the last peanut. But they were all glad to be back on solid ground again.

"Okay, where do we go from here?" asked Joey.

"I don't know," answered Yugi.

"I thought Ishizu said that Marik and Odion would be here," said Tristan.

"She did."

"Well, where are they?"

"Be patient, Tristan," said Téa.

"I would if I could, but it's just not in my blood."

"Whatever," Téa rolled her eyes.

For five minutes they waited for someone to come. There was still no sign of Marik or Odion.

"I'm tired of this," said Joey.

"Just wait awhile, Joey," said Yugi. "They'll come."

"Are we sure we can even trust Marik now?" asked Tristan. "You know, after the Battle City Tournament, I'm just not so sure about him."

"Tristan, he's good now. We sent the evil Marik to the Shadow Realm. He isn't coming back."

"We _hope_ he's not coming back."

"I hope they come soon," Téa chimed in.

"We all want that, but so far that isn't exactly what's going to happen," said Joey.

"Guys, just be quiet!" cried Téa. "Quit complaining!"

"It's hot!" Joey complained just to spite her.

"Why do I bother?" Téa asked herself, exasperated.

"Yet another question life has bestowed upon us that can never be answered," said someone's voice behind them.

They all turned around and found that Marik and Odion were standing behind them.

" Whoa," said Joey. "When did you guys get here?"

"Not too long ago," answered Marik.

"Why didn't you say anything!"

"You were busy having a conversation," answered Odion.

"That was definitely not a conversation. It was...talking."

"Joey, just stop while you're ahead," said Téa.

"Marik, would you have any idea of where to start looking?" asked Yugi, getting back to the matter at hand.

Marik shook his head, "I'm sorry. My family wasn't even given any hints as to where it may be. Yami's father didn't want to take any chances."

"Where do you think it could be?" asked Téa.

"It could be anywhere," answered Marik. "It may be all the way across the sands of Egypt for all we know."

"But it _is_ here, right?" asked Joey.

"Yes. We do know that."

"Good."

"Could it be possible that he hid it in a place that he liked to go?" suggested Yugi.

"It's always a possibility."

"Where would any of those places be?" asked Tristan.

"Well, there was a room in the palace, but that's in ruins now," said Marik. "Apparently it wasn't in there."

"Where else did he like to go?" asked Téa.

"He did take walks. Not really in any specific place, but he would go walk. Sometimes he would take Yami with him."

"Do you remember some places he used to take you?" Yugi asked Yami.

_"__Not very clearly,__"_ he answered.

"He doesn't remember where his father took him very well," Yugi told them.

"Great," said Tristan. "Now what are we going to do?"

"We could try to split up," suggested Joey.

"Very wise thinking, but we would have to go in groups," said Odion. "You don't know what could be out there."

"We could do that couldn't we?" asked Joey.

"It would be a little more challenging for one group," noted Marik. "Remember, the Millennium Puzzle is the only thing that will react when the book is near."

"Okay, maybe we shouldn't then," said Joey.

"I didn't say you couldn't," said Marik. "It would just be more challenging. It's a good idea. We would be able to cover more ground that way.

"C'mon, we're wasting daylight!" cried Tristan. "Let's start searching!"

"He's right," agreed Yugi.

"Okay, two of you follow me," instructed Marik, "the other two follow Odion."

The group of friends thought it over and decided that Yugi and Joey should go with Marik. Téa and Tristan would go with Odion. Then the two groups went in their separate directions.

* * *

"Where are we going?" Joey asked Marik.

"Towards the pyramids," he answered.

They walked on for a while and eventually made it to the pyramids. Joey and Yugi looked up at them. They were amazed at the size of them. Of course, they knew pyramids were very large, but they'd never seen them up close in person before. It was quite an amazing sight. Finally, the three of them split up among the pyramids and began searching.

* * *

"Odion, where are you taking us?" asked Téa.

"To the canals," he answered.

"Why are we going there?" asked Tristan.

"The Book could be anywhere. There may or may not be any limits."

"So we're going to have to look through water?" asked Tristan.

"Around the canals and in them."

"Are we going to have to dig through the sand?"

"Tristan, shut up!" cried Téa.

"I was just asking a simple question!"

"Yeah, and you're annoying!"

Odion sighed. This was going to be a long day.

* * *

Back in Domino City, Noah was sneaking out to Kaiba Corp to see what his sister was up to. Also, he wanted to check and see if Mokuba was okay. Due to being connected with Mokuba's life force, Noah could sense that Mokuba was upset. He wanted to know why, but for the moment wanted to make sure he wasn't horribly injured. Noah pressed up against the cold hard cement of an adjacent building. He watched as some employees walked inside.

'_That's strange,'_ he thought. _'__No one is supposed to be here today.__'_

Noah decided that his best bet was to come in from the back entrance. He quickly ran across the street and made his way behind the humongous building. He opened the door and looked inside. There was no one around. Perfect. He walked inside and started heading up the stairs to the top floor. When he was at the top of the stairs he could hear his sister's screams through the metal door!

"PUT THE PAST BEHIND YOU!" he heard her yell. "THAT'S WHY IT'S THE PAST! IT'S MEANT TO BE FORGOTTEN..."

He listened to her as she ranted some more, then he heard the sound of something shatter! Footsteps were approaching quickly from down the hall. They stopped in front of the doorway, and Noah listened as the person who made them was crying.

"Mokuba?" asked Noah.

The person on the other side gasped.

"Mokuba?" asked Noah again.

"Noah?" he answered.

"Mokuba, you're all right!" cried Noah happily.

Mokuba looked around, opened up the door and stepped out to the top of the stairwell. Noah looked at Mokuba. His face was red and slightly puffy from where Natalie struck him with her whip. He had tear streaks running down his cheeks with even more tears in his eyes. His long black hair was a bit messier than it normally was, and he also had a tiny shard of glass cutting into is left hand. Noah recognized it. It was a piece of the Blue Eyes White Dragon statue that had stood so proudly in the corner of Kaiba's office.

"What has she done to you?" asked Noah.

Mokuba shook his head. The only thing he could think about was how she got him wondering about his relationship with his brother. That by far is the worst thing she had done to him.

"Mokuba, talk to me."

"I can't," he sobbed. "I need to talk to Seto."

"You can't though."

"I wanna tell him I'm sorry."

"Sorry? For what?"

Mokuba didn't answer. He only grabbed ahold of Noah and clung to him very tightly and cried. Noah hugged him comfortingly. He didn't know what to do for Mokuba. He thought about just taking him back to the game shop, but thought better of it. Natalie would find him and destroy the place. She'd probably harm Yugi's grandfather! Noah promised he wouldn't go out on a rescue mission while the others were gone. That's when he remembered. He had to tell them what was happening! He had to get Mokuba to tell him.

"Mokuba, do you know why the employees are here?" asked Noah, changing the subject and getting information.

"I was ordered to call everyone."

"Everyone who worked for your brother or everyone who works at Kaiba Corp?"

"All the employees that work here."

"Why?"

"I don't know. She doesn't tell me. She just hurts me."

"MOKUBA!" Natalie cried.

"I have to go."

"Wait, I can go with you."

"What?"

"We're connected. I can stay inside your head."

"You can't come."

"Why not?"

"You just can't!"

Then, Mokuba opened the door and ran back down the hall. Noah was a bit confused. He'd thought for sure that Mokuba would like his company. Maybe that wasn't the case. Maybe there was another reason Mokuba didn't want him to come. Still, he'd keep an eye on his sister and his step-brother. To him Mokuba was his responsibility now. Since Seto couldn't take care of him, he would. Noah decided to stay at Kaiba Corp for a while. He sat down on the floor. Soon he would check some more things out. He wanted to know what was going on and he was going to find out.

* * *

Back in Egypt, they weren't having much luck. The Millennium Puzzle wasn't reacting in any kind of way. The Book apparently wasn't at the pyramids, but they needed to keep going. Marik, Joey, and Yugi agreed to search a little more before moving on to another area.

"Hey, do you think he hid it inside one of these?" asked Joey.

Marik shook his head, "No. Archaeologists have been through these tombs. They would have found it."

"Maybe it was hidden in a secret compartment," suggested Joey.

"You have good thinking, but I don't know how he would have gotten inside one of the pyramids, Joey."

"You have a point."

"Hey Yugi, any luck?" Marik cried over to him.

"No," Yugi answered back. He ran over to Joey and Marik.

"Should we move on yet?" asked Joey.

"Let's look a little farther out," suggested Marik. "It could be buried in the sands."

"Whoa, that's a lot of sand," Joey gulped.

"We're not looking through all of it," said Yugi.

_"__Yugi, let me take over,__"_ said Yami.

"Are you sure?"

_"Yes."_

Yugi nodded and they switched bodies. Instantly, Marik knelt down before him.

"Please don't," said Yami.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I felt that it was the proper thing to do."

"Let's go," said Yami.

* * *

Odion, Téa, and Tristan weren't doing any better. Their work _was_ a little more challenging. They almost felt it wasn't fair that Yugi had the Millennium Puzzle to help them.

"This is going to take forever," complained Tristan.

"C'mon, lighten up," said Téa.

"What if we don't find it soon enough? What if we find it five years from now?"

"Tristan, can you try to think positive!"

"That is positive! I could have said that we'd be out here for the rest of our lives! That would be negative!"

"Whatever."

"Besides, all this digging is making me thirsty, and the heat is unbearable!"

"Just keep looking. We can't give up! Remember, we're doing this to help Mokuba!"

"You two need to do a lot less fighting," said Odion from the canals.

"How can you stand it out here in this blaring heat?" asked Tristan.

"I'm used to it," Odion answered.

"I think I might pass out!"

"Tristan, will you please stop complaining and do a lot more digging?" asked Téa. "I need some help over here."

"What does it matter? I'm about to die of a heat stroke!"

"Well at least if you did I wouldn't have to listen to you complain anymore!"

"Nice to see my friend cares about me!"

Odion listened to them and rolled his eyes. There was no stopping them.

* * *

Soon it was dusk, and everyone was at Marik and Odion's home. They were all exhausted from the search.

"We should get to bed soon," said Marik. "That way, we can get up early to start searching again."

"How early?" asked Tristan. "I feel like I could sleep all day tomorrow."

"Don't worry about how early it is. Just try and get a good night's sleep."

"Okay," said Yugi. "Thank you."

After a few minutes, they were all getting into bed for some well-deserved rest. The hunt was going to take a while. Hopefully by the time they found it, Natalie wouldn't have caused too much trouble. Also, they hoped Mokuba would be all right. Soon they fell asleep. They would have a little more in store for them the next day.


	13. Riddles

**Chapter 13: Riddles**

Yugi had trouble sleeping that night. He kept tossing and turning. When he did sleep, he saw visions, or maybe it was parts of a dream. He wasn't sure. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Mokuba. He looked like he'd been beaten severely and was unconscious. He was lying on a black leather couch. Yugi wasn't sure if it was the future, or if it was Mokuba right now. Eventually, he decided to just lie on his back for a while, and try to clear his head. Then, Yugi started having doubts about whether they'd find the Book of Light. He also wondered what would happen if they failed. Yugi shook the thoughts from his mind. That was the last thing he needed to worry about right now. They had to find it for Mokuba. He sensed that Yami was worried too.

"You have doubts too," Yugi said to him.

_"__Yes,__" _he answered, _"__but I'm also trying to remember places my father took me. I want to be more of a help.__"_

"We all want to be more of a help in this situation, but we can only let this play out. We'll find it."

_"I hope so."_

"We will. Don't lose faith."

_"We'll have to try harder today while we're searching. Let's go now."_

Yugi sat up, "Are you crazy? We can't go now!"

_"Please."_

"I don't think it's such a good idea to just run off without anybody else."

_"I used to live here."_

Yugi looked away from Yami. It wouldn't matter what Yugi said, Yami could just take over if he wanted to. Finally, Yugi looked back.

"Fine. Let's go."

Yami nodded and took control of his body. He made his way past everyone quietly to get outside, and ran down the streets.

* * *

Back in Domino, Natalie was getting her entertainment. She smirked. She had ordered Mokuba to cut himself. At first, he refused. Then, she struck him with her whip many times, and he eventually started. After she watched every trickle of blood, she would whip him again, making him cry out in more pain. She wondered why she hadn't stormed in sooner so she could do this to Seto. Either way, it was torturing Mokuba.

Noah watched in silence through the small crack in the door. He looked away every time she struck him. He wanted to barge in there, but he couldn't! He had to stay out. Finally, it was over. She ordered Mokuba to leave. Noah got up and quickly ran down the halls to the lounge. Not too long after, Mokuba entered. He was shocked to find Noah still in the building.

"Wh-what are you doing here?" Mokuba asked.

"I...thought...you may need someone once you got back from your brother's old office," answered Noah.

"Why are you still here? You're supposed to be gone."

"Mokuba, quit running away from help..."

"I'm not running away from it."

"You have been ever since Seto died!"

Mokuba gasped.

"You know it's true," said Noah.

"No," Mokuba shook his head.

"Let the rest of us help."

Mokuba looked into Noah's eyes and felt horrible. Was he running away from everyone?

"We all know you miss Seto, but you have to understand that you're not alone. You still have me, and you still have your friends. We all want to help you, but you don't want it because it's not the help you got from your older brother."

"Stop," said Mokuba, falling to his knees. "I don't need this."

"I'm not trying to make you feel bad."

"You don't have to. It's my fault he's dead."

Noah didn't know how to answer him. He felt bad for him. Everyone else felt bad for him too. Maybe that was the point. Maybe Mokuba was sick of that. Noah would be. But he could be wrong.

"I want to tell him I'm sorry," said Mokuba.

"You can't apologize to him because of his death."

"I'M NOT APOLOGIZING BECAUSE OF THAT!" yelled Mokuba.

Then, they both gasped and held their breath. Natalie more than likely heard Mokuba's outburst, and sure enough she appeared within the room.

"What's going on in here?" she asked Mokuba.

He cowered in front of her. He didn't want to get Noah into trouble.

"I asked you a question!" she cried.

She raised her whip into the air. Before she could strike, Noah jumped on her and they both landed on the floor. He began to punch her repeatedly. After a couple of hits, she punched him back and he went flying to the other side of the room. She stood up and glared at her younger brother.

"How dare you touch me," she hissed at him.

"No, don't hurt him," begged Mokuba, grabbing onto her leg.

She looked down at him, then used her powers to seize him and have him float in front of her.

"Don't touch me ever again or you'll feel pain that is so unimaginable that everyone else in the world will feel it too."

She threw him against a wall and advanced on Noah. She snapped her fingers and he was instantly shackled. She snapped her fingers again and he was thrown against a wall. Next, a cage appeared, and Noah was dropped inside of it. He hit his head on the metal bars on the bottom, knocking him unconscious. Mokuba was finally able to look up. He crawled towards the cage that held his step-brother, but Natalie blocked his way. She used her magic to pick him up once again.

"What are you going to do to him?" asked Mokuba.

"Something far less painful than what I'll be doing to you for speaking with him," she snapped at him. "You are never to leave my sight again. You are never to speak to my brother again. Got it?"

Mokuba nodded.

"Good. Now let's go."

She transported them back to her office, leaving Noah in the lounge. She threw Mokuba onto one of the couches and ordered him to stay there for the rest of the night.

* * *

In Egypt, Yami and Yugi were sensing something wrong. They weren't sure what though. They looked in all directions, but saw nothing but the darkness that consumed the surroundings. Yami decided to keep going. The Millennium Puzzle still wasn't reacting. He was starting to wonder if his puzzle really did react when they were near the Book of Light when Yami was suddenly pulled in some direction.

_"__Are you sure we should be going this far away from the village?__"_ asked Yugi.

"Don't worry," said Yami.

Yugi found that hard to do at the moment. Yami kept going until there was nothing around them but the high piles of sand. He looked around and started running into another direction. Yugi wanted to know what his friend was doing. Finally, Yami stopped. He looked down as the Millennium Puzzle started to dimly glow.

_"__Awesome_,_"_ Yugi smiled. _"__We must be getting close_!_"_

Yami nodded. He walked on ahead. The Millennium Puzzle started to shine brighter and brighter. Finally, Yami stopped near the Nile.

_"__What's wrong?__"_ asked Yugi.

"There's something dark here," Yami answered.

They both stood, looking at the ground just before the river. They didn't dare to take one step closer.

_"__Maybe it's nothing,__"_ said Yugi, a slight quiver of fear in his voice.

Yami didn't answer him. He just kept staring at the ground. Suddenly, they heard a low rumble underneath them.

"_What was that?_" Yugi asked nervously.

"I don't know," answered Yami.

The rumbling continued to get louder and louder. Yami started taking some steps backwards. It was a good thing too. Suddenly, a wall of sand shot up from the ground. Yugi and Yami watched intently. When the wall of sand disappeared, a giant shadow creature stood in its place. It was in the form of a giant black cat with glowing green eyes.

"_What are we going to do now?_" asked Yugi.

"I don't know."

"_We can't just wait and see!_"

The shadow cat looked Yami over, "I sense ancient powers inside you."

"I was once the pharaoh of Egypt," Yami told it.

"I know you! You are my master's son."

"Your master?"

"Yes. He put me here to guard something. He chose me because he knew the dark lord Anubis would not be able to get past me."

"_So he's guarding the Book of Light,_" said Yugi.

"May we have what you are guarding?" asked Yami.

"I was instructed to ask two riddles. You need to answer both correctly. If you don't, you'll be sent to the Shadow Realm. If you do succeed, I will judge you. If you pass my judgment, I will give you the book."

"And if we fail your judgment?"

"I will destroy you. You will have twenty-four hours to respond to my riddles."

Yami nodded.

"My first riddle is: What walks on four legs in the morning, two in the afternoon, and three in the evening?"

"_I know this one!_" cried Yugi.

"A human," answered Yami.

"Explain."

"A human child crawls on all fours, an adult walks on two, and when a human gets old they use a cane to help them walk."

"Your answer and explanation is correct."

"What is your second riddle?"

"My second riddle is: What can't you see that is always in front of you?"

Yugi and Yami looked to one another. They weren't sure. There could be many different answers to this riddle, but they didn't know if the shadow cat was looking for a certain one or if it wanted all. They weren't going to answer it just yet. They decided to wait on it. They would talk it over with the others when they got back to the village.

"Do you have an answer?"

"We'd like to wait," said Yami. "We'll be back later."

The creature nodded its head to him and disappeared beneath the sands once again. Yugi then looked to Yami.

"_Now what do we do?_" he asked.

"We'll consult the others. Let's see what they have to say about this."

"_Do you think it is actually guarding the Book of Light? Maybe your father put this here as a trick._"

"Though it is a possibility, let's not shatter the small bit of hope we have now."

Yugi nodded. Then, Yami set course back to the village.

* * *

Everyone was waiting around for something to happen. Joey woke them all up. He'd noticed that his best bud wasn't there. Joey had checked the entire place before waking the others. He didn't know what else to do. They all sat around worried. They didn't know where to look for Yugi. He could be anywhere and there was no way to track him!

"I'm tired of waiting around for something to happen!" cried Joey, breaking the silence within the small home. "We have to do something!"

"Joey, we will," said Marik calmly. "Just relax."

"How can I relax when my friend is out there wandering the desert! What if he's dying of thirst!"

"Joey, chill out," said Tristan. "We all know how you feel."

"I'm apparently the only one who thinks we should be doing something too!"

"We have to wait it out for a short while," said Odion. "We need to see if he turns up."

Suddenly, Yami walked through the door. Everyone sighed in relief that he was all right.

"Where were you?" asked Joey.

"Yeah, we were all worried," said Téa.

"I went to search for the book," answered Yami.

"Alone? You know that isn't safe," said Marik.

"I used to live here," said Yami.

"Did you have any luck?" asked Odion.

"Actually, I did," smiled Yami.

"Awesome!" cried Téa. "So you have it with you?"

"Not exactly."

"Huh? What do you mean, pal?" asked Joey.

"Is there something guarding it?" asked Marik.

Yami nodded.

"Did you battle?"

Yami shook his head.

"What was it?"

"It was a shadow cat. He told me he was put there by my father, and in order to obtain the book we need to answer two riddles. We already answered one of them."

"Why didn't you answer the other one?" asked Tristan.

"We weren't sure how to answer it. We have twenty-four hours to respond to him."

"Well, what is it?" asked Marik.

"What can't you see that is always in front of you."

"Why don't you know how to answer that?"

"Different answers for it. We weren't sure whether it wanted one and only one, and that it had to be the one it wanted or if it wanted both. We decided to come here and consult you before we answered."

"Very good call," said Odion.

"Mmhmm," agreed Marik. "We'll all discuss it now and go back later to check."


	14. The Powers of the Light

**DGG: I would like to take this time to mourn for the death of Reese Kibler. He went to my school. He was a junior. I never met him, but he died waiting for his heart transplant. His sister died in 1993 when she was 14 of the same thing, but they didn't even know she had that problem. Let us mourn for a few moments.**

* * *

**Chapter 14: The Powers of the Light**

The gang sat around and talked about what the answer could be to the riddle. They needed that book or else they wouldn't be able to stop Natalie. With the Book of Shadows, she was practically immortal. They agreed around lunch time to go back to the Nile and confront the shadow cat together. When they reached the Nile, the same thing happened. A wall of sand shot up from the ground and the shadow cat appeared.

"I see you have brought others with you," it said.

"Yes, we all were searching for the same thing," said Yami.

"Do you have the answer to my riddle?"

"How many answers can there be to a riddle? We found two to give you," said Yami.

"I will accept only one answer."

The group of friends looked around at each other.

"Does it have to be a certain answer?" asked Marik.

"Whichever you prefer."

"The answer to your riddle is the future," said Yami.

The creature stood in front of them, staring down at the former pharaoh. They weren't sure what was about to happen. They knew that was a correct answer, but the cat just stood its ground, completely frozen. Finally, it nodded its head.

"Correct."

Everyone let out a sigh of relief.

"Now you must pass my judgment."

"Of course," said Yami.

Yami and the shadow cat locked their eyes onto each other. Suddenly, Yami wasn't with the others. He wasn't even in Egypt. He knew this place. He remembered the shiver that went through him all the times he'd been there. He was in the Shadow Realm.

"What are we doing here?" asked Yami.

"This is where I will judge you."

"There will be three tests you must take before you can pass. You must pass all three of them."

"What is your first test?" asked Yami.

"For you specifically, I will ask you three questions about Egypt. My first question is: What did the ancient Egyptians eat?"

Yami didn't answer. His memory of his past was still fading and what he ate was a part of it. That wasn't good.

"_I learned this in class one time!_" said Yugi. "_I can tell you if you can't remember._"

"We mainly grew wheat and barley to turn into bread, soup, and porridge. We also ate beef, mutton, duck, and goose," answered Yami.

"Very good. Your answer is correct. Now for the second question. Which direction does the water in the Nile flow?"

"It flows to the north," Yami answered right away.

"Correct."

"_Wow, that was really fast,_" noted Yugi.

"I know. I'm not even sure how I remembered that," said Yami.

"Your final question is: what is the letter 'e' in hieroglyphics?"

"_Crud. I can't remember that right off the top of my head. We learned it in seventh grade. Darn it!_"

"Don't worry about it, Yugi."

Yami looked up at the shadow cat and said confidently, "In hieroglyphs, the symbol for 'e' is three feathers."

"You are correct. Now for your next test you must prove that you were once the pharaoh of Egypt."

"How will I do that?"

"You are not known to many people. Therefore, they know little information about you. The boy that you share your body with does not know the answer to this question either."

"You know about Yugi?" Yami asked surprised.

"Yes. In order to prove to me that you were the pharaoh and your father's son, what dynasty are you from?"

"The eighteenth," answered Yami.

"_How did you remember that?_" Yugi asked.

"I'm not sure."

"Correct again. Now for your final test. You must prove your trust to me."

"My trust? How will I do this?" asked Yami.

"I will give to you the Book of Light. You must open the cover and read the inscription inside."

"How does this prove my trust though?" asked Yami.

"If the inscription is read by a trustworthy person, you will be filled with its powers. If you are not trustworthy, the book will reject you. Your soul would be sealed within its bindings where you can never get free. Many people are within the bindings of this book. You would not want to join them."

"_Well, I guess we have no choice,_" said Yugi.

"You're right," agreed Yami.

Next, the cat seemed to pull the book out of thin air and lowered it to give the former pharaoh. He took the book and opened it.

"_Can you read it_?" asked Yugi.

"I think so."

Suddenly, Yugi saw that he could read what the book said too! He decided that he'd better read it as well. So they read the short inscription together. After they were done, nothing happened. The two of them stood there, but still nothing happened. Both Yugi and Yami looked to the shadow cat. He didn't seem to be doing anything. He only stood there, staring at them. For a moment, they thought it didn't work until they felt something pulse through their veins. Bright blinding lights were shining all around them and they had to shut their eyes. They started feeling stronger. Eventually, they felt like they couldn't handle any more of it. Then, it stopped. They looked up to the shadow cat who bowed down to Yami.

"I hope you are successful in your journey," said the shadow cat.

"Thank you," said Yami.

"You now have the powers from this book. All you have to do is snap your fingers and whatever you desire will happen. Just snap your fingers to return to the rest of your friends."

Yami nodded, snapped his fingers, and was instantly with the rest of his friends.

"Well, did it work?" asked Téa.

"Did you get it?" asked Joey.

Yami smiled, and showed them the snow white book, "I got it."

"Awesome! Now we can help Mokuba!" cried Tristan happily.

"We still need to devise a plan," said Yami.

"Why do we need one now? We have the power to defeat Natalie."

"Tristan, that doesn't matter. We need a plan. We can't just go in there blindly."

"He's right," agreed Marik.

"Okay. Let's head back now," said Joey.

He started to turn and walk when Yami snapped his fingers and they were instantly back at Marik's and Odion's home.

"Whoa, that's useful," said Joey.

Instantly, Yami went looking through the book for any useful spells. He flipped through a few of the pages when one seemed to catch his eye.

"What are you looking at?" asked Marik.

"This spell could help us a little," Yami said. "It would give us another person to fight with us and would help Mokuba."

"What's it do?" asked Joey.

"You'll see, but first we should go back home. Marik, Odion, you may come along if you wish."

"Certainly," nodded Marik and Odion.

"Why? Can't we do the spell here?" asked Joey.

"Actually, we can't. We need to be in Domino City in order for it to work properly."

Everyone else looked at each other with confused looks on their faces. What was he planning to do? Next, Yami snapped his fingers and they were back in Domino City.

* * *

At Kaiba Corp, all the employees were finally there. They were all standing outside the towering building. Natalie smirked at them from her office window.

"You've done good work for once," she told Mokuba.

He didn't say anything. He was afraid of what she would do to all of them.

"I think we should go out there and introduce them to their new boss."

Mokuba looked up at her when she said that. He didn't like hearing that Kaiba Corp had a new owner. He wouldn't have liked it even if the new owner had still been him.

"Let's go, Mokuba," she smirked.

She snapped her fingers and they were floating above everyone. Mokuba hid behind her. Everyone gasped when they saw her.

"Wh-who are you?" someone asked.

"I am the rightful owner of Kaiba Corporation," she answered. "Mokuba has given me this company against his will, and now all of you work for me. I'm Gozaburo Kaiba's daughter, Natalie Kaiba."

"Natalie?" people asked.

"Some of you should remember me. Remember how bad I was then? Well, I've gotten much worse."

She watched as some of them crouched down in fear.

'_I don't see how much worse she really could have gotten,_' Mokuba thought to himself.

"What?" Natalie asked him.

"I didn't say anything," said Mokuba.

She instantly pulled Mokuba out from behind her and held him in a death grip.

"I heard what you thought, Mokuba," she hissed at him.

She tightened her grip even more and he let out a yelp of pain. Everyone looked up to Mokuba and Natalie. They feared for Mokuba's life.

"We'll talk about it later."

Then, she tossed Mokuba into the air and he flew through the window to Natalie's office. Mokuba lay on the floor for a while. Finally, he got up and looked out the window. Natalie was busy yelling at everyone. Then, Mokuba remembered Noah. He ran down the hall to where he was.

"Mokuba!" Noah cried happily.

"Hey, Noah," said Mokuba.

"What happened to you?"

"I was thrown through a window."

"Are you okay?"

"I guess so. Natalie has officially proclaimed herself the owner of Kaiba Corp."

Noah watched a tear roll down Mokuba's cheek. He didn't know what to say.

"Don't worry about it, Mokuba," said Noah.

"I can't help it. I still want it to be Seto's."

"I know, but we can't do anything about that anymore."

"It's not fair, Noah. Why did this have to happen?"

"I don't know."

Before they could say anything else, Natalie showed up, grabbed Mokuba, and threw him against a wall.

"Let's discuss what you said outside now," Natalie hissed at him.

"Leave him alone!" cried Noah.

"I don't think you're in the proper position to be barking orders at anyone!" she yelled.

"But I didn't say anything," Mokuba argued.

"You did in your head. I can hear your thoughts. But now I have to figure out how to punish you."

"I'm sorry, Natalie, I didn't mean to say it," Mokuba tried to apologize.

"Hush!" she smacked him. "Do you have anything else to say to me?"

Mokuba remained silent with his eyes closed.

I asked you a question!"

She raised her hand to smack him again, but someone grabbed her arm, stopping her. She looked up to see who it was and gasped. The person who grabbed ahold of her was Seto Kaiba.


	15. Fighting

**Chapter 15: Fighting**

"No, how can you even be here? You're dead!" cried Natalie.

Mokuba opened his eyes. At first he wondered what she was talking about, then he looked up. A smile found its way onto his face. It was Seto! It was actually Seto! At least, he hoped it was actually Seto this time.

"Anything is possible," Kaiba hissed at her as he pulled her away from his brother.

Natalie stood there, still shocked that Kaiba was there, but regained her normal stature.

"You really think you can protect him from me?" Natalie asked him.

"He isn't the only one protecting Mokuba," said another voice.

Natalie looked to the doorway and found the rest of Mokuba's friends there.

"How did you all get here without my sensing it?" Natalie asked them.

"With a little thing we picked up in Egypt," Joey answered.

"Nothing else can counteract my powers!" cried Natalie.

"Nothing, except for the Book of Light," smirked Yami.

"What?"

"You heard him," said Joey. "That's how we got Kaiba back. He wasn't too happy to hear that you took his little brother prisoner. He also didn't like hearin' that you stole Kaiba Corp from his brother. In general, he wasn't happy that you even came into his brother's life."

"I was always a part of their lives," said Natalie. "Well, ever since they were adopted into my family."

"Natalie, none of this is their fault!" Noah cried at his sister.

"Father knew I was still around. He could have gotten me back, but no. He went straight for the orphanage to find him a new son! He always thought a man could run a company better. I will prove him wrong!"

"How can you prove anything to a dead man?" asked Kaiba.

Natalie glared at her older step-brother. She wasn't exactly sure about what to say to him.

"Wow, you actually got her to shut up," said Noah. "That's never happened before."

"Shut up!" she yelled, using her powers to throw the cage across the room.

"Noah!" cried Mokuba as the cage went through the wall.

At this, Kaiba stood defensively in front of his younger brother. He had apparently only heard about her powers until this very second. They told him she was powerful, but he didn't know she had powers like that. He still wasn't the one to believe in magic, but this he could see was plainly real. He was going to protect Mokuba from it at all costs.

Natalie turned back to all of them, smirking.

"Th...that doesn't..sc..scare us..." Joey stuttered.

"I'll bet it doesn't," she said sarcastically.

She saw that it had shaken everyone up a bit. Everyone except Yami. He only stood, glaring at her. Then, she turned her attention back to Seto and Mokuba.

Do you still think you can protect him from me?" Natalie asked him.

"You don't frighten me," said Seto.

"What _does _frighten you?"

"Nothing."

"That's what you say, but you know that isn't true. I know it isn't true. So why don't you tell us what frightens you, Seto."

"It's none of your business."

"You stole my business, and just to make it even I'll steal your brother's life. Then, there will be no one left from your family. You'll all be together again. Mokuba can finally meet his mommy. Then, you can all be a happy family like you, your mother, and your father were before Mokuba was born."

"We were still a happy family after our mother died."

"You weren't too happy, Seto. After your baby brother was born, you weren't the same happy person you were."

"It had nothing to do with him," Seto hissed at her.

Natalie smirked at them. Mokuba knew that smirk meant she was about to do something.

"Tell me. Why do you want to protect someone who doesn't even love you?" she asked

"What?" asked Seto.

"You heard me. Mokuba doesn't love you. He told me that himself. Isn't that right, Mokuba?"

Mokuba felt tears come to his eyes again.

"Mokuba wouldn't say that about his brother..." Joey trailed off.

"I can prove he did if you all don't believe me," said Natalie, snapping her fingers making a tape appear in her hands. Then, she snapped her fingers again, making a tv appear. "You'll see."

She stuck the tape in to the VCR.

"Please don't," Mokuba whispered to himself.

Instantly, the picture of Mokuba and Natalie in Seto's old office appeared on the screen. Everyone listened to what they were saying.

_"What do you think about him now, Mokuba?" asked Natalie._

_Mokuba kept on crying._

_"I asked you a question!"_

_"I don't know!"_

_"I need a straightforward answer."_

_"I don't have one!"_

_"Everyone has their answer to what they think! Tell me yours!"_

_"I don't know right now!"_

_"Yes you do. Look inside your heart and find the answer!"_

_"I can't!"_

_"Yes, you can. It doesn't matter what you think about him now, Mokuba. He's dead. Do you think he cared about you?"_

_"N-no," answered Mokuba._

_"Really? That's very interesting. What else? Do you really think you made him happy?"_

_"No," Mokuba sobbed._

_"If you knew he was going to turn out the way he did, would you have wanted to go with him when Gozaburo adopted you?"_

_"Prob...probably not," he squeaked._

_"Do you still love him?" Silence. "I didn't think so. Now get out of my sight."_

That's where she stopped the tape. Everyone looked at Mokuba who was still trying to hold back his tears.

"Mokuba, did you really say that?" asked Seto.

"Yeah, but..." Mokuba started.

"See," Natalie interrupted. "He admitted to it. I didn't just make up this tape. Do you still want to protect him, Seto?"

Seto looked from his brother to Natalie, "I'll always protect him. No matter what."

Natalie was shocked. Why would Seto still want to protect a person who doesn't even care about him? Well actually, Mokuba did still care about his big brother. She was the one who made him say those things. She knew how much it would torture him. Nothing was going to stop Mokuba from caring about Seto and she knew it. Apparently, nothing would stop Seto from caring about Mokuba too. Well, just to torture the elder brother she could always torture the younger one. But this time she would torture him much worse than she had been. No one would be able to help Mokuba. Even with that Book of Light they wouldn't be able to do a thing.

"Mokuba, come here," she ordered.

Mokuba didn't go anywhere. He grabbed onto his brother tightly, hoping Seto would stop her.

"You're still my little slave, Mokuba, and I told you to do something!"

Still, Mokuba did nothing.

Finally, Natalie took out her whip and snapped it across Mokuba's hands, making him let go of his brother. Mokuba gasped in pain and held his hands close. Seto turned around quickly to see if Mokuba was all right, but just before he could do anything Natalie's whip wrapped around Mokuba's waist and she pulled him over to her, keeping him suspended in the air.

"I thought you knew better than to disobey me by now," she said to him.

"Let go of him!" cried Seto, starting to run towards her. She held up a hand and he instantly stopped.

"Man both of 'em are in trouble!" cried Joey.

"We have to do something!" cried Téa.

Then, Yami held up his hand. Natalie felt her powers weakening and had to stop holding Seto back. She felt her other hand going numb and was eventually going to let go of the whip. Instead of fighting with Yami's powers she decided to put Mokuba down. She used the rest of the strength in her hand to throw Mokuba to the floor, yelping in pain. With that, Yami put his hand down, and Natalie turned her complete attention to him.

"You don't know what you're getting into," she said to him.

"What I do know is that we're going to defeat you and you'll let Mokuba go," said Yami.

"If he makes it out alive. Even if you do defeat me, I'll make sure that Mokuba doesn't survive in this battle."

She looked back at her two step-brothers. Seto was hugging Mokuba as he cried. She smirked as Seto looked up, noticing her gaze. Then, she looked back to Yami and the rest of the gang, "You won't be able to stop me."

"We'll see about that."

"Okay, we'll fight."

She snapped her fingers, releasing a shadow creature for each person to deal with, except for Seto, Mokuba, Yami, and herself. She transported Yami in front of her as the shadow creatures lunged for his friends. They started running out the doorway and down the hall so the four of them were alone.

"Leave my friends out of this!" cried Yami.

"Fight me and they won't be harmed by my little pets."

"I can stop your shadow creatures."

"Try it and I'll kill Mokuba right here and now!"

Seto and Mokuba clutched each other tightly at her words. Yami didn't want to take the chance of losing another Kaiba brother so he reluctantly didn't do anything.

"Now, because I'm so powerful I'll let you fight me two to one..." she stopped suddenly, thinking.

"Actually, I think we can fight two to two."

"Two to two?" asked Seto.

"Who else is fighting?" asked Yami.

"Mokuba of course," smirked Natalie.

"What!" cried Seto.

"That's right, unless you'd rather see me kill him."

"You won't be able to lay a finger on him!"

"Seto, stop!" cried Mokuba. "She'll do it. Don't try and make her mad."

"Wow, it looks like Mokuba has learned something," she said. "Now you need to come over here with me."

Seto hugged Mokuba again and whispered to him, "I won't let her hurt you again, don't worry."

Mokuba wished he could have believed that, but she would hurt him no matter what. Seto probably knew that too, it was just a way to make him feel better, and it worked a little too. After a while, they were still standing there and Natalie was getting impatient. Next, she used her whip to grab Mokuba again to bring him over to her. Then, she threw him onto the floor again, much harder than she did last time.

"You still haven't learned that when I tell you to do something you do it!" she yelled.

Mokuba slowly got up, holding his right arm.

"Here are the rules," announced Natalie. "Each person has to fight one person. I get to choose them. I'll fight with Yugi, which means Mokuba fights with his precious older brother."

"I'm not going to fight him!" cried Mokuba.

Natalie struck him in the face with her whip, "Hush!"

Seto started for Mokuba but was stopped again by Natalie.

"You can't make me fight him," said Mokuba.

"I think I can," she smirked.

Mokuba saw the evil glint in her eyes. She started chanting a spell, red energy appearing in her hand. Once she was done, the energy shot itself into Mokuba. He made a cry like it hurt him, but it was over in a second. When he looked at Seto again, all the love and caring that was usually in his eyes were gone. He glared nastily at his older brother.

"Have fun," she told Seto.

"What did you do to him?" asked Seto.

"Nothing much," she sneered, looking to Yami. "And now let the games begin."

She snapped her fingers and Mokuba instantly tackled his brother to the floor. Yami watched on as Kaiba tried to hold his brother back. As he was watching, he was caught off guard by an attack from Natalie. He was thrown to the floor and laid on his back for a while. Suddenly, he felt himself being lifted into the air by Natalie's whip. As she held him in the air, she smirked at him.

"Always be on guard," she said before she threw him across the room. Yami got up, his arm sore from falling on it.

"Hit me with your best shot," she said.

Yami didn't know what to do. He thought and thought, but nothing came to him. Finally, he decided on something he could do. He stood his ground and closed his eyes. At first, nothing happened. Natalie was about to attack him when she heard a low rumbling around the room. Then, pictures, chairs, tables, and anything else was lifted into the air. She stood, shocked at all the things in the air. Then, a painting was flung at her, hitting her in the head. It knocked her to the ground, and a few more small objects were thrown at her. Natalie had had enough of this and used her powers to create a large sphere of energy around her. It grew larger, knocking everything out of its path. Everything in the air was thrown in different directions and the two Kaiba brothers were flung through the hole in the wall created by Noah's cage flew earlier.

Everyone and everything was knocked down, except for Yami. He was still standing, a force field of green energy around him. It had kept him safe.

"Your book gave you telekinesis?" she asked.

"Yes, it can come in very useful sometimes," smirked Yami.

"My book gives me some special powers also."

Instantly, Natalie was gone. Before Yami could even think to do anything he heard, "Behind you."

He turned around and she used her negative energy to power up the punch she gave to him. He tumbled across the floor. Almost instantly, he jumped back up.

"You have the power of invisibility?" asked Yami.

"Almost. I have super speed to surprise people with," she answered. "It can also be very useful sometimes."

Yami wasn't sure what to do. He had to think of something. If she could just move out of the way quickly, would he really be able to attack her then? He wasn't sure. If she didn't use her super speed, then it could be a little easier. If she did use it, it would make this fight tougher.

In the other room, the Kaiba brothers were lying on the floor on their backs. Seto was the first to get up. He was sore now, and couldn't remember what happened until he saw the other hole in the wall. Then, he remembered that he and his brother were thrown through it by something. His brother! Was he all right? He looked over at Mokuba. He was still on his back. Seto rushed over to him quickly and shook him.

"Mokuba, are you all right?" he asked while trying to awaken his brother. "Open your eyes, kid. Mokuba!"

Mokuba's eyes slowly fluttered open. He seemed a bit dazed at first until he locked eyes with his older brother.

"Mokuba," Seto smiled.

Mokuba smacked his brother's hands off him and got up instantly. He was still ready to fight.

"Mokuba, stop! This isn't like you. Natalie did something to you. Snap out of it!"

But it didn't work. Mokuba lunged himself at Seto again, pinning him to the floor. Seto knew from the first time Mokuba tackled him that he wouldn't normally be able to do that. Natalie had made him stronger in order to beat him!

Mokuba struck Seto across the face, snapping him from his thoughts. He looked up at his little brother, surprised.

"Mokuba, you have to stop this!" he cried, but Mokuba only hit him again. "Why would you want to hurt me?"

Mokuba looked at his older brother and said, "For all the times you made me hurt. For all the times you told me 'no' or ' I'm too busy. Maybe later.' For all the times I wanted to just spend time with you, but I couldn't. I'm going to teach you never to ignore me ever again!" Mokuba hit his brother a few more times.

"Mokuba, I never ignored you. I know I said I was busy a lot, and I know you couldn't always spend time with me because of it. I'm sorry."

"Sorry isn't good enough."

"Then what is?"

"When I destroy you."

Seto gasped. He had to snap Mokuba out of it. Just before Mokuba struck him again, Seto grasped Mokuba's wrist and stopped him.

"Let go of me!" Mokuba cried, but Seto refused.

Seto grabbed Mokuba's other hand and flipped him onto the floor.

"Mokuba, this isn't like you. I know my little brother is in there somewhere!"

"Get off me!"

"Mokuba, stop! Remember all the good times we had with each other! Think about the times before our dad died and the times after it! We have good memories, kid. You have to remember them."

"I remember how you hurt me!"

"Mokuba, look beyond those memories!"

"There's nothing but those memories!"

Mokuba's anger and frustration built up so much that he was able to throw Seto off him and attack him with all his might. Seto couldn't hold Mokuba back. It was too much for him! Kaiba was punched and hit many times from his chest to his face. Finally, Mokuba stopped. He got up off his brother and looked down at him. Seto was in a great deal of pain from all the blows. He could barely get up. The pain in his chest when he tried was almost unbearable. His head was spinning and he eventually fell out of consciousness. Suddenly, Mokuba snapped back to normal, not knowing where he was. He looked down and saw his older brother.

"Seto!" he cried, kneeling down beside him. "Come on. Wake up!"

Mokuba shook his brother, but he didn't stir. Then, Mokuba heard a crash coming from the room beside him and looked over quickly. Next, Natalie appeared beside him.

"Wow, good work, Mokuba," she said to him. "You really did a number on Seto."

"I...I didn't do this!" exclaimed Mokuba.

"Trust me. You did. All your anger, frustration, and sadness took over you. Your brother thought I made you stronger, but it was truly you who was that powerful. All the anger you felt towards my father for changing your brother, and the anger from people who spoke about your brother when they didn't know him helped make your blows more powerful. The frustration of feeling like you could never do anything up to your brother's standards helped you. Also, all the sadness from when he wouldn't spend time with you or told you he was too busy was there. All those feelings made your blows more powerful. You did this to your brother."

"I'd never hurt him."

"I'd beg to differ."

"Why would you make me do this to him!"

"Hey, I only helped you. You felt all those feelings long before now."

"I wouldn't have hurt Seto because of them!"

"No, but you would feel like harming something if all those feelings built up at the same time, and you did. Your brother didn't have to be your target. He was just simply there."

Mokuba turned away from her, tears streaming down his cheeks once again. He couldn't help it. She just made him attack his older brother! It was bad enough that she had to show Seto that tape, but now she made him hurt him! He loved his older brother and would never think of hurting him on purpose.

"Don't blame me," she said. "Blame your feelings."


	16. Decisions, Decisions

**Chapter 16: Decisions, Decisions**

Téa, Joey, Tristan, Marik, and Odion were still running around Kaiba Corp. They had lost the shadow creatures for the moment, and didn't know where they were. So they just kept on running. Tristan was running with a limp. The one after him had tackled him to the ground once. It bit him on his arms and his foot. He was a bit mad that now his shoe was ruined! That and to keep running were the only things lingering in his mind at the moment. He just couldn't believe that its teeth went through his shoe. He made that clear before he got up and started running again too. The others had rolled their eyes at him.

They were almost to the main doors when the creatures jumped out of nowhere at them. They circled around them, giving them nowhere to run.

"What do we do now?" asked Joey.

"I have no idea," answered Téa.

"I say we try and fight 'em for destroying a perfectly good shoe!" cried Tristan.

Everyone looked at him.

"What? They did!"

"Shut up, Tristan!" cried Téa.

"No, maybe Tristan's right!" exclaimed Joey.

"About what?" asked Marik.

"We could try and fight."

"Are you nuts? Did you see what they did to Tristan's arms? He's still bleeding a little and that was from using their teeth. Just think what they could do with their claws!" cried Téa.

"We might just have to take that risk, Téa."

"I'm not so sure how well that would work," said Marik.

"What other options do you have for us?" asked Joey.

"None..."

"Okay then."

Joey didn't wait any longer. After he was done talking, he jumped at one of the creatures, pinning it to the floor. It hissed at him, showing Joey its sharp and jagged teeth. Before Joey knew it, another one tackled him to the floor and was biting his arm! Then, another one came and started to bite his other arm! Tristan was the next to gather up his courage. He was able to shove one shadow creature off his buddy before the others started to pile on top of him! Next, Téa, Odion, and Marik started their advance on the creatures. They didn't do much before they were thrown backwards, landing on top of one another.

"That...didn't work..." said Téa from the bottom of the pile.

"We need a new tactic if we expect to help Tristan and Joey and get them back in one piece!" exclaimed Marik, crawling off Odion and Téa, allowing them to get up.

"Well, there is a shadow creature for each person," noted Odion.

"Oh no. You're not expecting us each to take one on!" cried Téa.

"We have to try something," said Odion.

"Téa has a point. You saw Tristan and Joey. They both just went for just one creature, and then they all ganged up on them. I'm not so sure the creatures would fight with just one of us at a time," said Marik.

"That doesn't matter. Each of us needs to charge at one. That way they'll be too preoccupied with us instead of going to help another one of its kind to defeat us," explained Odion.

"Well, I guess it's worth a shot," nodded Marik. "Are you in too, Téa?"

"I guess," she shrugged.

"All right then, let's go!" cried Odion.

The three friends ran and tackled three different creatures. They started to hit and punch them, but it didn't work very well. Then, the creatures would start to scratch and bite them! All of them struggled against the creatures until finally the creatures disappeared. The five of them knew they weren't gone for good. They'd done it before and they had made the mistake of celebrating too soon. Then, they appeared again, taking them by surprise. But the five of them took this opportunity to try and escape. When they opened the main doors, they were shocked at how many people were standing outside the building. Looking around, there was no way to get through the crowd.

"Please, you have to help us!" cried someone from the crowd.

"She's keeping us prisoner here! We can't even leave!" someone else yelled.

"She has evil powers like a witch!"

"I'm afraid that we're stuck here too," Marik called out to the crowd. "I'm sorry that we can't be of any help, but Natalie practically has us imprisoned here."

Murmurs went through the crowd at his words.

"Now what are we gonna do?" asked Joey, holding his hand over the giant gash in his arm.

"Yeah, those things are probably going to pop up at any second and finish us all," said Tristan.

"We can't do anything," said Odion. "That's the problem. She has us right where she wants us and, and we can't do anything to protect ourselves."

"Odion's right," agreed Marik. "All we can do is either keep running around this place or just wait here."

"I say we should at least move away from all these people," suggested Téa. "They're suffering enough and maybe if we're still here when the shadow creatures come back, they would attack them too!"

"Téa has a point," said Joey.

"Yeah, so let's move out," agreed Tristan.

Marik and Odion agreed and they all helped each other to walk back inside. They sat down in the lobby and used the time they had to relax a little.

"What are we going to do when they come back?" asked Tristan.

"We still have to fight 'em," answered Joey.

"Are you crazy? We just tried that plan and we barely made it out of it!" cried Tristan.

"We still don't have any other options!"

"I don't care!"

"Guys, stop arguing! We can still fight them, but we may just need to approach it from a different angle," said Marik.

"What did you have in mind?" asked Odion.

* * *

"I...you...why..." Mokuba couldn't think of anything to say to her. He was still horrified about the news he'd just received.

"Don't worry, Mokuba, he'll wake up again. He'll just be in a world of pain because of you," she smirked.

Mokuba looked to his older brother again. How could he let her do this? This was all her fault. She was the one who brought out the worst in him. What was he going to do?

"Now your big brother can't protect you from me," said Natalie.

Mokuba gasped, "Is that why you made me do this?"

"Yes, and to see it torture you."

"Wh-what are you going to do to me?" asked Mokuba.

"Don't worry about that. It'll come soon enough."

Natalie reached down and grabbed Mokuba's arm, holding him tightly. He struggled to get her off him. She seemed to get satisfaction from watching him squirm. She smirked and yanked him off the floor. Then, she used her free hand to pick him up by his throat! After a few moments of him struggling to breathe, she threw him across the room. Then, she made her way back over to him.

"Don't worry, there's more to come," she said to him.

He didn't say anything. His eyes were clenched tightly shut due to the pain he was experiencing. Natalie looked at the nails on her right hand, smirked, and watched as they grew into long sharp claws. Then, she took her hand and slashed Mokuba's left arm. He cried in pain as she started to randomly scratch him all over his body. She smirked again at the blood-stained sections of his clothes. Then, her nails returned to their normal size. Next, she got up and kicked him in the ribs. She was about to kick him again when he disappeared. She looked around until she remembered. She snapped her fingers to return to where she had been previously fighting.

"I wasn't finished with him," snapped Natalie. "You can have him when he's a mutilated corpse!"

"You won't get that far," Yami said to her, holding onto Mokuba.

Natalie was infuriated that Yami had interrupted her. She couldn't think of something that would be appropriate for his punishment. Then again, it probably wouldn't work. He had powers too, and whatever she did he could block it with his force field. She was out of options. But what she did know was that she needed to catch him off-guard again. But how was she going to do that? Then, she got an idea.

She smirked at him, then used her special ability of speed to grab Mokuba from Yami's hands. In no time, she stood across the room again, but this time she had Mokuba in her grip. Yami was about to snap his fingers to get Mokuba back when Natalie raised her hand as if telling him to stop. Instantly, red energy glowed all around him like an outline and he was frozen. She lowered her hand and walked over to him, dragging Mokuba behind her.

"I don't think you'll stop me from doing anything to him now," she said to him. "You'll only watch helplessly as I torture him slowly until he dies."

Then, she threw Mokuba to the floor again. He made no sounds this time. He only looked at her with fear in his eyes. What was going to happen now? Both Seto and Yami couldn't help him! Noah was unconscious and the others weren't there. Mokuba thought that this was the end. She was finally going to succeed in killing him. She was about to do something to him when she suddenly turned around and blocked a chair that would have hit her. Mokuba looked over and saw that Noah was standing there!

"You know the bad thing about your little cage?" Noah asked his sister. "You shouldn't have given me one with a door if you were going to throw me through a wall. It was open when I woke up."

"You won't be awake much longer, little brother."

"You can't kill me. I'm already dead."

"Fine. I'll send you to the Shadow Realm where you belong."

"You don't scare me."

"You don't fool me. I can see through your little ploy. You always tried to act tough when in reality you are nothing but a frightened little two-year-old," she said, her eyes suddenly narrowing as she sensed something. "Drop him!" Natalie flung around to look at Seto and Mokuba. Seto held on to Mokuba tightly. "I see what you were doing," Natalie said to Noah. "You were trying to distract me while Seto grabbed Mokuba and took him away. I just can't allow that. I need Mokuba."

"For what?" asked Seto.

"It'll be hard to kill him without him being here."

"Is that all you talk about?" asked Noah. "That's the main thing you say."

"It's my top priority, and I like to get things done."

"I don't think you'll be getting anything done," said Marik from the doorway.

Natalie whipped around to face him, "Why is that?"

"Because I control your precious pets," he answered.

"No one else can control my shadow creatures."

"My Millennium Rod lets me take control of their minds."

"I'll re-gain my control of them by destroying your Millennium Item."

"I'd like to see you try."

She pointed her finger towards the Millennium Rod and a red laser shot out. But before it could reach its target, one of the shadow creatures stood in the way and cancelled out her attack.

"What!" she gasped.

"Your powers were created from the same dark force that these creatures are made of. They'll absorb any of your attacks."

"How dare you use my creatures against me!" she shouted at him.

"Anything goes in this fight."

Natalie didn't know what to do. She couldn't get her creatures back under her control! Then again, she didn't need to attack Marik. It was Mokuba that she was after. What a perfect way for the young boy's life to end. He'll die in Seto's arms. Marik couldn't stop her from doing that.

She turned her attention back to her two step-brothers. She watched as Seto comforted Mokuba. It made her sick. Then, she pointed her finger at Mokuba and shot out another laser.

"Protect them!" cried Marik to one of the shadow creatures, but it was too late. The attack hit Mokuba in the back.

Mokuba yelped then immediately went limp in his brother's arms. Everyone had horrified expressions on their faces, especially Seto. He laid Mokuba on the floor and tried to wake him, but nothing worked. Seto had tears in his eyes. Suddenly, Noah fell to his knees.

"What's wrong with you?" asked Joey?

"I'm here because I was connected with Mokuba's life force. I stay here as long as he stays alive. Right now he's on the brink of death and once he dies I turn to dust," explained Noah.

"You won't be able to defeat me in time to save his precious little life. I should just let you go to the hospital now because I know you wouldn't make it in time. Enjoy your last moments with Mokuba, Seto," Natalie laughed.

Everyone was appalled by this. How could anyone be that heartless? How could she take the life of an innocent child and feel no regrets? Kaiba didn't know what to do. He knew he couldn't hurt her, but he couldn't just let her get away with murder! The only thing he did was pick up his little brother and hold him tightly.

"We gotta do somethin'!" Joey cried at Marik.

"Yeah, we can't let her get away with that!" agreed Tristan.

Marik nodded, "Shadow creatures, attack Natalie!"

"What!" Natalie whipped around.

The shadow creatures sprang forward on top of her, pinning her to the ground. One stood on her hands and another stood on her feet. They all bit her and clawed her, making her scream in pain. Blood was seen oozing onto the floor. Occasionally, she'd try to throw her former pets off her, but they kept coming back and attacking her more viciously. The creature on her hands finally decided to break her fingers. This way she couldn't use her magic. Then, they finally stopped their attack and stood back. Natalie laid on the ground, completely motionless.

"Is she dead?" asked Joey.

"I doubt it," answered Marik. "If she were gone, all the magic spells she has in effect now would be gone. Yami is still under her spell."

"She looks dead," noted Tristan.

"Yeah, that doesn't mean she is yet," said Marik.

Just as he finished his sentence she stirred a bit. She was weak due to blood loss and in a great deal of pain. She could barely move. Not that there was really anything she could do anyways.

"Looks like...you didn't...fulfill...your little...plans..." panted Noah.

"I...accomplished one thing...I...got rid...of...Mokuba..." Natalie answered weakly.

Then, Natalie turned to black smoke and was absorbed by the Book of Shadows that now lay where she had previously been. Then, Yami became unfrozen.

"I'm guessing that she's gone this time," said Joey.

"Mmhmm," Marik nodded.

Next, Noah disappeared.

"Oh no!" cried Joey. "Mokuba..."

"He's...he's still breathing," said Kaiba. "Just barely, but he's still breathing."

"Then why'd Noah disappear?" asked Téa.

"He probably became too weak to maintain a link between Mokuba and himself," answered Yami.

"What are we goin' to do about Mokuba?" asked Joey.

"I can save him," said Yami. "Kaiba, will you please lay him on his back?"

Kaiba instantly put him on the floor. Then, Yami knelt down beside him, placed both hands on Mokuba's heart, and a white light shown throughout the room. After a minute, Yami sat back and Mokuba opened his eyes. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief as he sat up and looked around the room.

"Seto!" he cried happily, jumping into his big brother's arms.

Everyone smiled warmly that the Kaiba brothers were back together again. This was the happiest Mokuba had been since his brother's death. After a while, Yami walked over and picked up the Book of Shadows.

"What are we going to do with it?" asked Marik.

"We have to destroy it," Yami said simply. "Then, we'll have to destroy the Book of Light."

"Well, what would happen to Kaiba if you do that?" asked Joey.

Mokuba looked over at Joey, "What?"

"Your brother is still dead, Mokuba," explained Yami. "With the book still here, he'll stay in this world for three days then return back to the dead. If we destroy the book now, he'll disappear right now."

"You can't do that!" cried Mokuba.

Seto hugged him tightly.

"I won't destroy the Book of Light just yet. I'll let you spend some time with your older brother, but no one else can see him. He can't go outside your home."

"How does that sound, kid?" asked Seto.

Mokuba buried his face into his brother's chest.

"I guess I'll stay here," said Seto.

Yami nodded. Then, he snapped his fingers and sent everyone back to their homes except for Seto.

"Why didn't you send me anywhere?" asked Kaiba.

"I wanted to tell you something. Because of the spell you can stay here for three extra days, but I have a way for you to stay here with your brother," said Yami. "The Book of Light enables me to bring people back from the dead. I can bring you back to life if you want me to."

Kaiba wasn't sure of what to say.

"You'll have until the third day at five to decide."

With that, Yami snapped his fingers and sent Kaiba back to his home.


	17. Don't Say Goodbye

**Chapter 17: Don't Say Goodbye**

Seto appeared in the living room of his home in the middle of the floor. He stood there for a few moments, thinking over Yami's words until his brother came up and hugged him.

"You okay, kid?" he asked.

"I don't want you to leave again," answered Mokuba.

Seto squeezed his brother a little tighter, "I know, but don't worry about it."

"But you have to stay!" exclaimed Mokuba. "I...I can't do anything without you here!"

"Mokuba, you don't need me here to do anything," said Seto.

"What?" Mokuba looked up at his older brother.

"We both need to get some rest after what happened today," said Seto, quickly changing the subject. "Let's go lie down for a while."

He let go of Mokuba and started walking out of the living room to go upstairs. Mokuba stayed behind for a little bit. What did Seto mean? Of course he needed his older brother! He was what gave Mokuba his strength. Why didn't Seto seem sad that he would return to the dead? Finally, Mokuba snapped out of his thoughts and went upstairs to his brother's room. He turned the knob only to find that it was locked!

"Seto," he knocked on the door.

No answer.

"Big brother, open the door," said Mokuba.

Still no answer.

"Come on you have to let me in!" cried Mokuba.

After a few more tries, Mokuba decided that it was time to stop. Seto wasn't going to let him in. He put his head on the door and closed his eyes. He wanted to spend as much time with his brother as possible before he left again, but how was he going to do that when his brother acted like he wanted to stay as far away as possible? Mokuba sighed and went down to his room.

"Wow, I haven't been in here for a while," Mokuba mused to himself before he went in and plopped down on his bed.

* * *

In Seto's room, he was lying on his bed. He had heard his brother outside the door, but instead of letting him in he only stared up at the ceiling, listening to his brother's pleads. Seto wanted to let him in, but felt like being alone so he could try and think. He was thinking more and more about what Yami had said to him. At first, he was positive that he would stay with his brother, but then he started to think. He caused his little brother so much pain, and he hated to see that pained look on Mokuba's face. He knew that if he left again it would crush Mokuba, but he had reasons for wanting to do both. But he couldn't decide on what to do.

While thinking about it, he eventually drifted off to sleep for a while. A few hours passed when he was awakened by knocking on his door.

"Big brother," said Mokuba.

"Yes," Seto answered groggily.

"Can I come in now?"

Seto sighed, getting up and unlocking his door. He walked back to his bed as Mokuba opened the door.

"What's wrong?" asked Mokuba.

"Nothing," Seto answered sadly.

"It doesn't sound like nothing."

"Don't worry about it."

Seto laid back down and stared up at the ceiling once again. Mokuba didn't know what to do. He knew something was bugging Seto. Maybe it was that he had to leave him again? Oh well. He decided to not pick at it and make his big brother mad. Instead, he climbed onto his brother's bed and laid down next to him. Then, there was silence between the two brothers. Neither of them knew what to say to the other. Mokuba was trying to decide why his brother would be so sad, and Seto was debating with himself whether or not to tell Mokuba that he had the choice to stay if he wanted to.

Before Seto knew it, Mokuba was fast asleep by his side. He looked over and smiled at him. He pulled the covers over his little brother, sighed, and went out to his balcony. He leaned on the railing and looked all around the yard. Memories flooded back to him. He looked down at a corner of the driveway. He remembered that that was the place Mokuba had fallen a few days after Gozaburo had first adopted them. He'd comforted him until the pain went away. That's when Seto remembered the smile on his little brother's face. It seemed different now. It was like all the pain that'd been in Mokuba's life was starting to show through his smile.

Seto felt that he was a main cause of the pain too. He always saw Mokuba come up to him with a smile on his face and ask him if he'd play or take a break, but Seto always said no. He remembered that disappointed look all too well. It would last for a second or two, then Mokuba would try to put a happy face back on. But Seto always saw it. That was a reason he didn't want to stay. He didn't want to disappoint his little brother anymore. That was also why he wasn't going to tell Mokuba he had a choice. If he told Mokuba he had the choice of staying with him, Mokuba would automatically think that he'd stay there. But what if he didn't stay? Mokuba would be crushed.

He was still torn between what to do. He thought about each reason for staying and for leaving, but just couldn't decide. At least he had three days to figure it all out, but three days wasn't a very long time. He knew they'd pass quickly. Everything passed quickly. The fifteen years he'd been on this earth had passed quickly. The time with his parents had passed quickly. Nothing lasted forever. Finally, he decided to go back inside. He looked at his sleeping brother with his sad eyes, sighed, and went downstairs to the family room.

Family. Where was their family? Why did all this have to happen to them? Well, more of why did it happen to Mokuba? He didn't deserve any of this. He didn't deserve any of the pain he'd felt throughout his life. Seto was the one who deserved to be all alone in this world. He always thought that Mokuba deserved a family that was there for him. A family where he hadn't lost both his parents. That family would deserve to see Mokuba's smile. Eventually, he laid down on the couch and drifted off into sleep.

* * *

**Day one.**

The next morning, Mokuba woke up alone. He shot up, wondering where his brother was. At first he wondered if the entire thing had been one big dream. Then, he remembered that his brother always did get up earlier than he did. So he got out of bed and went downstairs. He walked silently through the house. Mokuba noticed a small smile was coming across his lips. The mansion felt like his home again. It didn't feel like an empty and deserted place now.

He walked into the kitchen, but his brother wasn't there. Well, if he wasn't in the kitchen drinking coffee, then where was he? Could he be up in his office doing things? But what would he do? He's supposed to be dead. So where could he be? Mokuba decided to go into the family room and sit down to think for a while; that's where he found his brother sleeping soundly on the couch.

_'Why'd he come down here to sleep?'_ wondered Mokuba.

Then, he started to gently shake his older brother. Seto's eyes fluttered open and looked up at Mokuba.

"Good morning," smiled Mokuba.

Seto sat up, not even acknowledging that Mokuba said anything.

"Are you okay?" asked Mokuba.

"I'm fine," Seto answered.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Mokuba didn't know what was going on with his older brother, but he could tell that something was wrong. He knew Seto would never admit to it though. So all Mokuba could think to do was to hug his brother. He was about to when Seto got up and walked to the kitchen. Mokuba followed his big brother to the table where they both sat down on opposite ends. Neither of them did anything but sit there, thinking about different things. Seto had to decide, but what was he going to do?

After about fifteen minutes, Mokuba got up and finally hugged his older brother, tears starting to stream down his face. Seto held onto him tightly, just like Mokuba liked. The younger Kaiba smiled into his older brother's chest as Seto rested his chin on his younger brother's head. He didn't want to leave Mokuba again, but he sort of liked being dead. He didn't have any pressures or responsibilities anymore. But that wasn't fair to Mokuba. He still had to stay behind in this life. Now Mokuba had a lot more pressures and responsibilities because of his death! He had to decide what to do with Kaiba Corp. and if he kept it that would double everything and stress him out even more! Why was all this happening?

"Big brother," said Mokuba's upset voice.

"Yes," he answered.

"What am I going to do without you?"

"Don't worry about it, kid."

"But I've already had a taste of it, and I don't like it!"

"I know."

"I don't want you to leave again!"

"I know."

"If you had the choice, you'd stay with me right?" asked Mokuba.

Seto didn't see that coming. What was he going to say to Mokuba if he didn't even know the answer yet? So he just remained silent and hugged his little brother even tighter. He felt Mokuba smile into his shoulder and knew that he just gave Mokuba the wrong impression.

* * *

**Day 2.**

Most of the day, Seto tried to avoid Mokuba as much as possible. He just couldn't take the fact that he may have lied to him. The few times that he did bump into his little brother were awkward. Mokuba could tell Seto didn't want to be around him. Mokuba thought he'd done something wrong, but instead of mentioning it he kept it to himself. Why trouble Seto with it? Seto knew what Mokuba thought, but for some reason couldn't tell him that he didn't do anything wrong. Would he believe him even if he did? After all, no matter what he said to his little brother Mokuba kept on blaming himself for their mother's death!

Finally, around midnight Mokuba came into Seto's room and laid down on top of him.

"Yes," said Seto.

"Big brother, I don't know what I'm going to do," said Mokuba.

"I already told you not to worry about it."

"I mean with Kaiba Corp."

"I told you you didn't have to inherit it one day. Do what you want with it. It's not mine anymore."

"But I want to..." Mokuba trailed off as more tears streamed down his face.

"Kid, you don't have to keep Kaiba Corp. because of me. You're allowed to do what you want with it. If you really want to, you can keep it, but I didn't think you wanted it. Do what makes you happy, Mokuba."

"But if I give up Kaiba Corp, I'll be giving up a piece of you."

"Nothing of me is in Kaiba Corp."

"You were there all the time. Your work meant something to you."

Seto considered what his brother said for a while before speaking again. He understood why Mokuba wouldn't want to give up the company, but he didn't want it. Then, he thought about the other thing Mokuba said.

"Kid, I may have spent a lot of time at work but that doesn't mean that you didn't mean something to me," said Seto.

"I didn't say that."

"You implied it. I still cared about you. I still do. You don't have to worry about that."

"Big brother, promise me that you won't forget me when you go back," Mokuba said, starting to cry.

"I'll never forget my little brother," Seto smiled.

"Never?"

"Never."

Mokuba held on tightly to his older brother. Mokuba was starting to get scared again. Tomorrow Seto would disappear! He would do anything just to have his big brother stay by his side. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do.

_'I return to my grave tomorrow, and I still don't know what I'm going to do!'_ Seto yelled mentally at himself. _'I know I should stay with Mokuba, but I don't want to stay in this world. Everything is easier there. I don't have to worry about Mokuba hating me, or having him disappointed in me. I don't have to see that sad look on his face when I say no to him. I don't have to feel like the worst brother in the world there. But where does all this leave Mokuba? I can't just leave him here alone. I promised him I'd never leave him.'_

"Big brother," said Mokuba, snapping Seto from his thoughts.

"Yes," he answered.

"Wh-what's it like to die?"

"Well," he started, "I don't know if it's the same for everybody, but for me it felt like I was hanging from a cliff. I could hear you trying to wake me up, but I couldn't. I guess if I were standing on the cliff I would have been awake, but because I was hanging there between life and death I couldn't. You'll never know how exceptionally hard it was to hang on. I tried so hard to stay with you, but I couldn't climb back up the cliff. I was too weak. I had to let go."

"Wow."

"Mmhmm."

"Were you scared?"

"A little."

"Why?"

"I didn't know what to expect once I hit the bottom."

"After you hit what happened?"

"Everything went black."

"That's all?"

"Mmhmm."

"So you're not with Mom and Dad? You're just gone?"

"For the time being," Seto lied quickly. "Then, I'll be with Mom and Dad."

"How do you know?"

"I know everything," answered Seto.

Mokuba smiled.

After a while, Mokuba fell asleep in his brother's arms. That's when Seto took him over to his own room and tucked him in. The older boy watched his brother sleep for a while. Mokuba seemed so peaceful and at ease. That's all he ever wanted for his little brother.

He'd finally made up his decision, but first he had to do something. It took him most of the night and a lot of tears, but he finally finished what he wanted to say to Mokuba. Then, he went downstairs and walked out the front door.

* * *

**Day three.**

Mokuba couldn't find his brother anywhere! He wasn't there when he woke up! Where could he have gone? It was almost five. Seto had told him that was the time he'd disappear, but Mokuba hadn't seen his older brother all day. Mokuba looked for him everywhere. The same outcome was at all the places he looked. Seto apparently didn't want to be found. Finally, he went back home and sat on his brother's bed. He felt really awful. Suddenly, he saw a folded up piece of paper on his brother's bedside table that had his name on it. Mokuba picked it up and opened it. It read:

_Hey kid, I don't know when you've found this but hopefully you're not sixty-two. Do you remember when you asked me if I would stay if I had the choice? Well, I did have the choice. I honestly didn't know what to choose. I had my reasons for staying and for leaving. You want to hear my reasons for leaving? Well, they revolve around you, kid. Don't take that hard. I'll tell you why I wanted to stay dead. I couldn't be who I wanted to be anymore. No matter how hard I tried. I couldn't hug you tightly like you liked for no reason. I could when you were asleep but not when you were awake. I think I know why too. I was afraid it wouldn't be the same for you. Gozaburo changed me. We both know that. I lost most of my soft side. I knew it would make you happy if I acted remotely like who I was when we were younger, but I couldn't do it. I'm sorry. Another reason is that I didn't like disappointing you. I should have taken some time from my work to play with you or to just spend some time with you. I'm sorry for that too. But I did have my reason for staying. You were also that reason. I liked it when you smiled, kid. It made me feel like I was doing somewhat of a decent job of being an older brother. I thought I wasn't a very good older brother. Whether or not you agree, that's what I think. You deserved a better family, and I deserved to be alone. Half the time I didn't even know what made me think I could be a brother._

_Just remember that I love you, Mokuba. Even if it doesn't seem like it. I'll always be there to watch over you. Don't worry. You'll be fine. I don't want you to be sad because of me. I'm not worth that. Keep smiling, and keep being your happy little self. That'll keep me happy. I'm sorry I barely spent any time with you. Both when I was alive and when I was brought back. If I could, I'd go back and change everything. But I can't. Just know that my decision here is final… _

Mokuba wasn't sure what to think. What decision?

"But, Seto…" Mokuba trailed off. "I need you."

"Don't worry, kid. I decided to stay."

Mokuba looked up at the doorway, shock evident on his face.

"Big brother?" Mokuba smiled.

"Hey, kid."

"Seto!" Mokuba cried as he jumped up and ran to give his brother a hug. "Seto, you're here! But I read your note. I thought…"

"I know. But trust me. Despite the fact that death brings peace to a person, I'd much rather be here with you."

"I love you, big brother! Never leave me again!" Mokuba hugged him tighter.

"I won't. I promise."

* * *

**DGG: Yes. This is my new and improved ending...Well, it's new, at least. A happy ending this time. So if you read any of the reviews and people are ranting/yelling/complaining at me, it's all because in the original ending I had Kaiba choose to stay dead.**

**Thanks for reading. Shoot me a review if want!**


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